Sporting House sues over county law

Tuesday, May 23, 2000 | 12:01 p.m.

A Las Vegas company with plans to convert a health club into an adult entertainment business has filed a federal lawsuit against Clark County.

Sporting Health Inc., which operates the Sporting House at 3025 Industrial Road, filed the complaint Monday in U.S. District Court asking a federal judge to rule unconstitutional a Clark County ordinance that increases the minimum distance between adult businesses.

According to the lawsuit, Sporting House filed an application with the Clark County Planning Department on Sept. 24 to open an adult entertainment cabaret at what was then a health club. The site was inspected about a week later and given preliminary approval, the lawsuit says.

But the Clark County Commission passed an ordinance Sept. 22 requiring the distance between adult businesses increased from 500 to 1,000 feet. The new law became effective Oct. 6, and the Sporting House business license application was denied on Oct. 13, "revoking the approval previously obtained," the lawsuit says.

Sporting House claims the new law is unconstitutional because it violates the right to free speech and equal protection. The new law also "unlawfully discriminates between hotel and nonhotel owners by failing to regulate hotels with adult uses," according to the lawsuit.