COLUMBUS, Ohio - Opponents of a stringent new strip-club law in Ohio filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday saying that exotic dancers and adult entertainment establishments are protected by the constitution. According to a recent report, the filing by the Buckeye Association of Club Executives said adult businesses should receive the same protection as controversial stage plays or novels.
The lawsuit is the latest turn in a battle between adult establishments and the state of Ohio. A petition attempt to fight the anti-adult law from going into effect fell short earlier this week when Vote No on Issue 1 Committee, the group fighting the strip-club law, failed to gather the required number of signatures. The group was charged with the ambitious task of collecting just over 241,000 signatures of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election, and at least 3% of those signatures had to be from voters in each of 44 of Ohio's 88 counties.
When the final numbers were counted, the law took immediate effect.
Cleveland lawyer J. Michael Murray is leading the court challenge, saying the new law violates the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. A temporary restraining order to block enforcement of the law was also filed, and a judge will make a decision on that after looking over written briefs both sides.
The law enacts a no-touch rule at strip clubs and a midnight closing time for all adult-oriented businesses.
The new strip-club bill prohibits nude or semi-nude performing between midnight and 6 a.m. and require that a distance of six feet be maintained between dancers and customers at all times – even when the dancers are fully dressed.
According to a recent report by the Columbus Dispatch, on another legal front, opponents of the law filed a second lawsuit late yesterday, asking the Ohio Supreme Court to force Brunner to accept as valid all signatures on the committee's petition that were not returned to her office by Monday's deadline.
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