Photography by Kelsey Shoemaker.

Equinox Preston Hollow, Inc. and Hillcrest Crossing Shopping Center are locked in a nearly million-dollar lawsuit scheduled for trial in March.

The gym closed in late 2023 due to a rent dispute between the landlord, Hillcrest Crossing, and the tenant, Equinox.

Equinox filed a lawsuit against the shopping center for alleged invalid termination of the lease and claims that the landlord unlawfully locked the tenants out of the property. 

During the pandemic, Equinox fell behind on lease payments but, according to Dallas County court records, reached an agreement with the landlord to meet a minimum monthly rent.

The amended lease allowed for Equinox to defer their June 2020 through September 2020 rent payments totaling $268,020 until January 2022, when they would be required to pay interest-free installments of $11,167.50 per month through Dec. 31, 2023 to make up for the missed payments. 

However, Hillcrest Crossing Shopping Center argued, in November 2020, Equinox again failed to pay the full amount of its minimum monthly rent. The shopping center landlord notified Equinox about the overdue rent on Dec. 22, 2020 and again on May 24, 2021. 

By July 2021, records show that Equinox was again paying its rent. However, since September 2020, the past due amounts have grown to $966,216.41, according to the landlord.

Hillcrest Crossing Shopping Center notified the gym of their lease termination via email on May 9, 2020, according to Equinox. 

Equinox filed the lawsuit two days after receiving the past-due notice, alleging the landlord unlawfully locked Equinox out of its space in violation of Chapter 93 of the Texas Property Code, which permits tenants locked out of their lease to file with the justice court for reentry, specifying under oath the circumstances leading to the unlawful lockout.

The gym is permanently closed. There have been hearings between both sides of the suit since it was filed in 2021. A nonjury trial is set for March 2024.

The space is currently available with no update on a new tenant.