Attorney Skye Allen Accused Of Trashing Another Apartment, And Failing To Pay Rent

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago lawyer accused of defrauding landlords apparently is at it again, once more accused of trashing an apartment and skipping out on rent.

CBS 2 Morning Insider Lauren Victory first reported about attorney Skye Allen earlier this year, and now another landlord has called to complain.

Allen and her husband, Scott Dunham, didn't open their door for CBS 2 last week, but pictures showed what was behind their door 24 hours earlier. An inspector sent by the landlord found a filthy kitchen, a broken door, and a missing smoke detector. Kitty litter blanketed the bathroom, and clogged the tub.

The scene was eerily similar to what Allen left behind in Aram Ghoogasian's Woodlawn apartment last summer. During a three-month stint studying abroad, the University of Chicago grad student sublet his apartment to Allen, and returned to find bugs crawling all over the place, stains covering the floors, dirt and pasta in his tub, and what appeared to be animal waste coating the cushions.

Allen also didn't pay rent for two months, but coughed up the money after CBS 2 got involved.

The Chicago attorney has fought more than $37,000 worth of claims against her.

"It appears she preys on unsuspecting University of Chicago people who are new to this," said Allen's current landlord, a University of Chicago graduate who believes Allen trashed Ghoogasian's place then moved into his apartment less than two miles away. "There's a level of trust within the community that she appears to prey upon, from rental to rental."

Text messages showed another frustrating situation involving unpaid rent, with the landlord telling Allen and Dunham in March their February rent was 45 days late, and Dunham vowing to have a check by April 1.

Dunham denied the couple has repeatedly skipped out on rent, and said it wasn't true their apartment was dirty.

Their landlord now is evicting Allen and her husband, and has filed a lawsuit, the ninth involving Allen in the past 10 years.

"I didn't notice the warning signs," he said.

Allen and her husband were due back in court on April 17 to answer to claims they owe their current landlord $2,400 for rent in February and March. He said they also have not paid him for April yet.