The scoop on Tyra Banks’ once-upon-a-time Washington, D.C., ice cream dream is messy.
The 52-year-old model-turned-ice-cream entrepreneur and her business partner and current romantic partner, Louis Bélanger-Martin, are facing a $2.8 million lawsuit tied to a planned Smize & Dream shop in the nation’s capital, Fox 45 News reported.
According to new court filings, Christopher Powell, a D.C. landlord, has sued School of SMiZE LLC, alleging breach of contract and related claims stemming from a 10-year commercial lease signed in the spring of 2024, Entertainment Weekly reported. Powell claims the space was intended to house a flagship ice cream shop that would also serve as a community hub, including programming aimed at supporting and educating at-risk youth.
“She said Smize & Dream would not only be an ice cream shop, but also an initiative to provide underserved youth in Washington with education in science, sales, and hospitality,” the filing read per the outlet. “Ms. Banks told Mr. Powell that the D.C. location in his building would be the flagship location of what Ms. Banks envisioned as a global chain serving communities around the world.”
The lawsuit alleges that after signing the lease, Banks’ company failed to move forward with the buildout, stopped paying rent, and ultimately abandoned the space, even as the Smize & Dream brand continued to expand elsewhere. Powell further claims the business shifted its focus overseas, including a recent launch in Sydney, Australia, without fulfilling the commitments tied to the D.C. location.
Banks and her business partner have denied the allegations and filed a motion to dismiss, arguing the lawsuit is legally flawed and should not proceed, ABC 7 reported.
Banks, who recently relocated to Sydney with Martin and her son, first launched Smize & Dream in 2021, naming the ice cream brand after her signature modeling catchphrase “smize” as a way to channel her long-standing love of the dessert into a playful, story-driven business.
Since its debut, the brand has operated largely through pop-ups and limited engagements, including a Smize & Dream pop-up in Washington, D.C.’s Woodley Park neighborhood in July 2024, before expanding internationally and opening a flagship location in Sydney.
