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Located in South McAllen,\u00a0La Plaza Mall, is one of Simon Property Group’s highest-grossing malls thanks to its binational customer base. And now, several designer brands are investing millions to open new stores in 2026.<\/p>\n
Dina Ar\u00e9valo<\/p>\n
What started as a lawsuit for nonpayment of rent has now morphed into a\u00a0countersuit alleging that one of the busiest shopping centers in South Texas is infested with rodents, plagued by drains overflowing with sewer water and has a leaky roof.<\/p>\n
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Rossina, a Rio Grande Valley-based coffee shop with locations in McAllen<\/a> and Edinburg, claims it was forced to end its lease at La Plaza Mall<\/a> in South McAllen years early after the mall allegedly ignored numerous pleas to resolve a \u201cmall-wide rodent infestation.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The allegations came to light after La Plaza Mall\u2019s parent company, Simon Property Group, filed a lawsuit in late June alleging breach of contract and nonpayment of rent. Simon is suing for between $250,000 and $1 million in unpaid rent since Rossina stopped paying in early March, as well as a share of gross profits the cafe was obligated to pay under its five-year lease agreement, according to a July 7 amended complaint. Simon Property Group is the largest shopping mall company in the United States and reported nearly $6.37 billion in revenues last year.<\/p>\n Located in South McAllen,\u00a0La Plaza Mall, is one of Simon Property Group’s highest-grossing malls thanks to its binational customer base. And now, several designer brands are investing millions to open new stores in 2026.<\/p>\n Dina Ar\u00e9valo<\/p>\n But in court filings,\u00a0Rossina argues it only stopped paying rent and vacated the kiosk after the mall failed to resolve sanitation issues that threatened the cafe\u2019s bottom line. In a\u00a0countersuit, Rossina is seeking between $250,000 and $1 million in damages from lost sales, damaged inventory, and for costs incurred in trying to clean up the allegedly unsanitary conditions around its kiosk. The cafe is also seeking a declaratory judgment stating it was within its rights to terminate the lease for \u201cmaterial breaches.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was a little surprised that they sued for nonpayment, given the history there. But they left us with no choice,\u201d\u00a0Rossina\u2019s attorney, Simran W. Singh, told MySA on Tuesday, August 18.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Rossina signed a five-year lease with La Plaza Mall in December 2023, but didn\u2019t begin operations until June 2024. On January 8 of this year,\u00a0Rossina sent the mall the first of several written notices about \u201csewer backflows, water instructions, electrical problems, (and) rodent activity and infestation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n