DALLAS -- Local landlord Dennis Topletz lost a battle in court on Thursday.
Judge Carl Ginsberg granted the City of Dallas' request for a temporary injunction and also said the leases Topletz has been making his tenants sign for decades violate state law.
Tenants say they have complained for years about deplorable conditions and the city has cited Topletz hundreds of times for violating city codes.
He owns nearly 200 homes.
On Thursday in court, Topletz told the judge that, to the best of his knowledge, his leases comply with state law and it's up to the tenants to make repairs any damages.
But the judge disagreed, saying the leases violate state law.
Judge Ginsberg told Topletz he can not raise rents, charge for repairs, or even evict anyone without going through the court first.
The tenants say, since filing a lawsuit against Topletz, they've received harassing letters. They fear being evicted or retaliated against, so they asked a judge for an injunction.
Topletz also can not contact the tenants in any way.
The landlord left the courtroom with his attorneys and refused to comment on Thursday.
The ruling was a big victory for the plaintiffs.
Right now, there are two tenants suing Topletz, but their attorney say he plans on getting this lawsuit classified as class action, which means anyone who signed leases in the last four years are eligible for compensation.
The city attorneys say their goal is to stop Topletz from exploiting tenants.
The case goes to trial on November 8, 2016.