TEMPE, Ariz. – After a lengthy lawsuit between the city and club owners has been periodically settled, Elite Cabaret looks poised to become Tempe’s first strip club. According to a recent report, the city’s case against Elite Cabaret was dismissed from U.S. District Court in Phoenix last week, and the club will now move forward with plans to open its doors.
The club will not be well received by all of Tempe though, as community outreach groups and city mayor Hugh Hallman have publicly vowed to do everything within their power to have the club shut down.
The owners of Elite Cabaret initially filed suit against Tempe after finding that the city’s zoning laws made it impossible to set up anywhere within the city limits. According to a report by the Arizona Republic, mediation was successfully closed on Aug. 9 when Jeff Minor, from the Cabaret, and Tempe City Attorney Andrew Ching penned an agreement that allows the club to open.
The subsequent deal was then thrown out and sealed, with U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Martone writing, “If the City of Tempe elects to ignore state and local zoning laws, it will do so at its own peril, without the sanction of this court.”
“I am never going to be party to a settlement agreement that violates state law,” Mayor Hallman told the Republic. “If the judge is right, we should be able to get the settlement thrown out as void because we can't violate state law nor should we.”
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