Former “Rehab Addict” star Nicole Curtis has spoken out to defend herself after she was sued by the city of Detroit over failing to renovate an abandoned property that has been declared a “public nuisance.”
A lawsuit was filed on July 22 against Curtis, 49, and her company, Detroit Renovations LLC, alleging that the HGTV star has not carried out any work on the historic house, which she took ownership of in 2021—despite a judge ruling that renovations must be carried out to prevent the property from being a danger to the public.
In a post shared on her Facebook account on Aug. 2, the on-air personality fired back at the allegations, insisting that her team was preparing to begin work at 7 a.m. the following day, while noting that she is not pursuing the project for any financial gain, but rather to continue her goal of saving historic homes.
“[I’m] not out to make a buck, not out to make a name for myself, not out to rob and pillage (as some say about me), just out to save historic homes from being demolished and/or ruined by flippers,” she wrote.
“Just a reminder, I save old houses, but it’s not a job—it’s one of my passions and it is second to my passion to just be me.
“Most days that’s just blending in being mom wearing the same darn outfit you’ve seen me in for 20 years and just doing my best to ensure that my legacy is being great mom that loved, rather than ‘that chick who had that show’ when I die.”
Her statement came more than a week after the lawsuit was filed with the Wayne County Circuit Court, in which representatives for the city of Detroit asked a judge to either force the property’s owners to address a series of violations—some of which date to 2021—or hand the home over to a court-appointed receiver.
The lawsuit, which was obtained by the Detroit Free Press, alleges that Curtis and her company have failed to carry out any work on the home since taking ownership of it five years ago. It also claims that they owe more than $5,000 in fines and fees on the home.
It is not the first time that the property, which is located at 451 E. Grand Blvd., has been the subject of legal issues. In fact, Curtis and Detroit Renovations LLC were only handed the keys to the home following litigation with the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
At the time, Judge Timothy Kenny declared that the home was a “public nuisance,” and ordered Curtis and her company to renovate the property.
Inspectors had previously found several issues with the building, including missing permits, failure to register the building as vacant, trash and overgrown vegetation, and a deteriorating roof, gutters, walls, windows, fences, porches, and stairways.
Now, the city claims that Curtis and Detroit Renovations have not only done nothing to deal with these problems—but have also allowed the decrepit property to deteriorate even further during the five years they have owned it.
The lawsuit points out that Detroit’s Buildings, Safety, Engineering, and Environmental Department had issued correction orders in 2022, 2023, and 2026—leading to 25 violation tickets being recorded after nothing was done to correct the problems found.
The city is alleging that the property owners owe $4,200 in fines and $1,331 in inspection and registration fees.
Records show that Curtis’ company owns multiple properties on the same street, but the other addresses do not appear to have come under the same criticism.
Interestingly, Curtis’ statement did not include any kind of denial of these allegations, with the renovation expert instead choosing to focus on the motivation behind her projects, as well as her longstanding connection to the Detroit community.
Having insisted that crews were due to begin working on the home within 24 hours of her posting, she went on to look back on the start of her career, which began when she used to clean houses in Detroit.
“I used to clean houses in Detroit. I used that money to buy my first house, then my next house, then my next house, then my next house,” she recalled. “I didn’t use bank loans. No one would finance me. I saved it all. I sold garbage finds on Craigslist. I wasn’t an ‘influencer’ (there was no social media).”
The HGTV star went on to insist that the goal of her business was never to launch a reality TV career. Her decision to pitch the concept of “Rehab Addict” was simply something she did when she had some spare time, she said.
“I took a random one-off 30-[second] opportunity and built the idea of ‘Rehab Addict.’ I was 35 years old,” she continued. “I was told how to be so I’d be more popular on TV and I said no. I was told to do as I was told and I said no. I fought against it all and I built.”
She further alleged that her reality TV fame, while helpful for her career, has earned her some less-than-positive attention, too, claiming that she has built up a long list of “enemies” who she hinted have been trying to destroy her livelihood for years.
“Over the years, my stamina and determination built a solid foundation, a hit show, global recognition, and enough money to breathe and then some. But it also built me a list of enemies,” she said.
“I’ve been sued, blackmailed, extorted, betrayed, you name it, and not just by the usual suspects, but by ‘friends’ and loved ones that I trusted with my soul.
“It’s a grief that is hard to explain if you haven’t gone through it, but, also, one that does the opposite of what your enemies’ intentions were. … It builds you right back up.”
At the end of her post, she thanked those who stood beside her.
“Now, with all that being said, THANK YOU, for sticking by me (and not just in this past year) but through it all,” she concluded. “You all know my love for these cities I call (ed) home and it’s never been for the heck of it.
“So, I’m just continuing being me unapologetically Nicole Curtis—the mom that prefers under the radar, hiding in plain sight, working on an old house.”
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