Muckrake Update: Artists Win $100,959.20 Judgment Against Houston’s H Gallery

by Bill Davenport June 7, 2012

A comment posted yesterday on Glasstire by artist Claire Richards contains the results of a lawsuit filed last year in Houston against H Gallery and its owners: according to Richards, the case (Cause No. 995535 Court at Law No 2, Harris County, TX) ended on April 23, 2012 with a civil judgment against the gallery for a whopping $100,959.20.

Richards goes on to add that “only four artists of dozens took the Gallery to court,” and urges “any artists or patrons who have been scammed by them [H Gallery] are encouraged to go to the District Attorney’s office and file simple complaint against them. A criminal case for intent to defraud is necessary to take the gallery out of Houston’s community.”

John Nova Lomax, who wrote the original investigative piece on the gallery’s sleazy doings, has the details in a Houston Press follow-up piece, noting that “on May 19, the defendants filed a motion to set the judgment aside. They claim that they were not served with the notification of the final hearing. A ruling on that motion is pending. Meanwhile, H Gallery is still in business up there on West 19th.”

3 comments

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3 comments

Ricardo Paniagua June 7, 2012 - 09:16

This is a start. There is so much criminal activity in the un-regulated industry. L.A. has formed an Artists Union. Im so proud. Not because we want that kind of organization, but because it’s just wrong how art dealers conduct business and lack of professionalism. Kudos to those four artists and thanks for posting this urgent issue.

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Claire Richards December 8, 2013 - 12:05

H Gallery is now vacant. All appeals on their part in the law suit have been denied.

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arjumand Azhar February 3, 2014 - 06:14

Can someone help me locate Heidi and Sandra as they have 60 of my works with them. I paid them to have my work displayed but apparently they haven’t sold anything and have all my work. I am overseas in Pakistan trying to get my family to Houston but now I am told that they have shut down the gallery and have left no mail forwarding address or phone. Can someone help me please.

Arjumand

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