Lawsuit Filed After Ceiling Collapse Injures Family in Rental Home

The Arnold & Itkin team, led by attorney Trent Shelton, filed suit in Taylor County, Texas, on behalf of a family against Ivey Property Management, LLC. On May 22, 2026, the ceiling of the family's rental home in Abilene, Texas collapsed on them. This wasn’t the result of a natural disaster, nor did this catastrophe occur out of the blue. Months earlier, the family had reported a crack in the ceiling to Ivey. They had documented the hazard in hopes that property management would do its job, but Ivey never repaired that cracked ceiling.

Landlords have a duty to address known hazards in their rental properties, especially when tenants take the time to report a problem before it becomes dangerous. This family did exactly what they were supposed to do, and their warning went unanswered until the ceiling gave way on top of them.

The suit alleges negligence and gross negligence for Ivey's failure to maintain safe premises and address a hazard the company knew about well in advance. Our premises liability attorneys are pursuing full accountability on behalf of this family for the harm this collapse caused them in their own home.