Royce West suing Dez Bryant for $60,000 in damage to rental home
A lawsuit filed by State Sen. Royce West alleges Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant caused more than $60,000 worth of damage to a DeSoto home Bryant rented.
Court documents say that Bryant breached his lease because he did not “accept accountability for his negligent and abusive treatment” of the house, which West owns. Bryant’s unwillingness to accept responsibility forced West to file the suit, the documents say.
West is asking for $100,000 to $200,000 in damages.
The documents say that Bryant lived in the house, located in the 1200 block of Regents Park Court, from September 2013 through January 2016. The 6,400-square-foot, six-bedroom house is in the DeSoto gated community Regents Park. It also has a tennis court and swimming pool.
Bryant leased the house from West. The lease stated he would return it in the “same condition in which he received it.” When the house was returned to West in February, it was “littered with trash and feces, missing blinds and shutters, with cracked windows and blackened carpeting.”
The lease said that Bryant could not allow any pet on the property, unless he and West agreed to a written agreement. It also said he had to keep the property clean and promptly get rid of any trash. Bryant agreed he would repay any costs that result from cleaning carpets, drapes and any other damages.
The lawsuit says Bryant moved out in January and West asked Bryant to do a walk-through of the home with him, but neither Bryant nor his representatives showed. It also says "Bryant has been unwilling to accept responsibility for the damage, forcing West to file this suit."
The two have a history dating back to 2010 when Bryant was brought on by the Cowboys. But back then, West was a Bryant advisor, advocate and attorney.
In 2011, he represented Bryant when receiver was sued over $600,000 he owed to a jeweler.
A year later in 2012, West defended Bryant when he was arrested and accused of attacking his mom.
West also stood by Bryant when he was kicked out of Northpark Center for yelling profanities and wearing sagging pants and when Bryant got into a fight outside a Miami night club.
But now, neither West nor Bryant are talking about the lawsuit.
During part of the 2015 season, Bryant had a pet monkey. In November, an animal rights group called for DeSoto police to investigate Bryant having the monkey illegally within the city limits. PETA said he could not have it because of a city ordinance that bans owning a monkey without a special permit.