A judge denied a request to temporarily block the sale and closure of The Washington Home yesterday in D.C. Superior Court.

The nursing home, which Sidwell Friends School agreed to purchase last year, plans to shut down by mid-December to complete the sale. Earlier this month, a group of residents of the home sued to stop the closure.

The residents say they should have had a chance to purchase the Home under D.C.’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. The lawsuit also accuses the Home of fraud and safety violations.

Judge Henry Greene said he sympathized with the residents who have struggled to relocate. But, he added, “This is not a very close case.”

To prevail, the residents will have to convince the court that TOPA covers nursing homes.

“I can’t find any basis to conclude that a nursing home is a residential accommodation in the District of Columbia,” Judge Greene said, calling the legal strategy “imaginative.”

The next hearing in the case is set for July 29.