An East Bay property investor is being sued by multiple tenants who allege they have been subjected to illegal harassment to get them to leave their rent-controlled apartments.

They say text messages were meant to intimidate some residents to leave by questioning their immigration status.

The lawsuit was filed in Oakland on Wednesday against Darrick Chavis. On his website, he is listed as a real estate agent, and he described his business on an episode of the television courtroom show, "Hot Bench," involving another legal dispute.

"I'm a contractor and an investor," said Chavis. "And I own several apartments throughout the Bay Area."

One of those properties is a small apartment building on Princeton Street in Oakland. At a protest at the Oakland Courthouse, a tenants' rights group sai

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