Nicole Curtis has officially broken her silence amid her ongoing legal battle against the city of Detroit.
The former HGTV star took to social media on Sunday, August 2, to share her lengthy statement.
Nicole’s Statement
Curtis shared her side of the story one week after news broke that the Michigan city was suing her and her company, Detroit Renovations LLC. According to the lawsuit, Curtis “allowed a long-blighted historic property on East Grand Boulevard to remain a dangerous public nuisance for years.”
“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,” she began in her Sunday Facebook post.
Curtis continued, “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 ….. 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). I worked my [expletive] off and kept building. I took a random one-off 30-sec opportunity and built the idea of ‘Rehab Addict’. I was 35 years old. 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.”
The “Rehab Addict” alum added that her “stamina and determination” helped propel her to stardom.
“But it, also, built me a list of enemies,” she shared. “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.”
Despite her show being canceled, Curtis claims she’s still doing the same work.
“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. “Now, with all that being said, THANK YOU, for sticking by me (and not just in this past year) but through it all. 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.”
Curtis’ Lawsuit
Last month, The Detroit News reported that the city had filed a lawsuit against the former reality star.
In the claim, which was filed in Wayne County on July 22, the city ordered “immediate abatement of dozens of building and blight violations.” Curtis and Detroit Renovations were responsible for remedying all violations at their own expense, as well as paying all outstanding fines, the outlet reported.
“As ‘president’ and managing member of the Limited Liability Corporation that owns the subject property, defendant Curtis controls the corporate activities of defendant Detroit Renovations and, therefore, is personally liable for said public nuisances at the subject property,” the lawsuit stated, per Detroit News.
Curtis took to her Instagram Story on July 25, sharing a photo of what appeared to be more than a dozen violation notices.
“Gonna be a fun week in #Detroit,” she wrote over the image. “There’s a ticket in here for missing window hardware (P.s. there’s no window) Tax dollars at work.”
Go kick ass!!
She has always had one of the best home rehab shows on HGTV. She continually shows her love of the old historic homes she saves. Her show should be brought back ASAP.