County hit with suit from nude dance club

Bill Gang

Friday, April 9, 1999 | 10:37 a.m.

A District Court lawsuit has been filed charging that Clark County has been unfairly and unconstitutionally targeting the nude dance club Deja Vu Showgirls and its customers.

The issue is whether customers and the club legally can be cited for the consumption of alcoholic beverages brought by patrons into its parking lot, as has occurred.

Only businesses with liquor licenses are permitted under county law to have alcohol consumed on the premises, although the lawsuit states that "premises" generally is defined as the interior of a business and not the parking lot. Clubs that feature fully nude women may not have liquor licenses.

The lawsuit filed Thursday by attorney Allen Lichtenstein is asking District Judge Gene Porter for a declaration that the county ordinance prohibiting people from drinking their own alcohol in an erotic dance club's parking lot is unconstitutional.

The legal action notes that county ordinance does not prohibit the drinking or possession of alcohol on streets or sidewalks. Tourists along the Strip frequently are seen drinking alcoholic beverages as they walk from one resort to the next.

Lichtenstein states in the lawsuit that the ordinance prohibiting drinking near adult clubs -- even in areas adjacent to the clubs -- is an unlawful "special condition" on a constitutionally protected business.