By September 2003, the company's corporate charter had been forfeited and it owed more than $47,000 in back rent on its 4,400-square-foot downtown office, according to a lawsuit filed that month. The city twice won judgments for unpaid taxes and interest, which exceeded $8,300 by 2006.
Morris and his partners shifted in the early 2000s into the real estate development business, where he said he found his greatest success.
"I've been able to put some beautiful, tax-producing properties on the Baltimore skyline that are bringing people into the city," he said. "And I'm proud of that."
That business also has led to some claims of unpaid debts. According to a lawsuit filed in 2006 against Morris and his development business, he and a partner approached officials with the Baltimore company Landmark Parking about investing in a project at Paca and Pratt streets, where Morris has since helped develop the Zenith. They offered Landmark exclusive parking rights, asked for help purchasing and developing the property, and requested a $12,500 loan, according to the allegations made in court records. Three years later, Landmark filed suit claiming Morris never paid back the money or any of the company's expenses, accusing him of fraud.
The lawsuit was dismissed after three months, and executives at Landmark did not return a call seeking comment. Morris said the case's dismissal shows it was not important.
"This is not a financial endeavor for me, working for the schools. And the last six years have required a significant personal sacrifice, to put the time and effort in to be able to benefit a system and a city I love," Morris said. "And there's never been any question that the system's financial position is significantly stronger now than it was when I was asked to serve. I think that's important."
For the record
Among the judgments and legal claims against school official Brian D. Morris:
* Failure to pay $3,245 rent at a Belvedere condo, Nov. 2007 to March 2008
* Yellowwood Avenue home sold at foreclosure auction, 2005
* Failure to pay $47,000 business rent, 2003
