County sued by LV clubs

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2000 | 11:33 a.m.

Two Las Vegas-area supper clubs sued the Clark County Business License Department and the Clark County Commission to stop them from interfering with the supper clubs' policy of charging admissions fees for club entertainment.

In a Clark County District Court lawsuit, AA&O Enterprises doing business as El Sinaolense restaurant and El Rey restaurant alleged the defendants unfairly issued misdemeanor citations against the supper clubs for violating an amended Clark County ordinance that the plaintiffs claim doesn't apply to them.

The suit, which said the restaurants were issued both supper club and admission fees licenses in 1998 and 1996 respectively, said the Clark County ordinance was changed in July 1999 to provide that holders of supper club licenses can't charge admission fees.

"The license department had no right to issue the citations because my clients were grandfathered in since they were issued the licenses before the ordinance was amended," said Andras Barbero, the plaintiffs' attorney.

He argued the license department waived its rights to enforce the changed ordinance when it repeatedly sent the restaurants notices for renewal of the licenses and accepted payment for the licenses.

The defendants could not be reached.