City unfairly cracking down on Congress Theater: Suit
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CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) -
The owners of the Congress Theater are accusing the city of unfairly craking down on the music venue's ability to sell alcohol by enforcing a city law that is rarely used on music venues.
In a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Friday, Congress Corporation claims police officers have issued multiple citations, stopped Congress Theater employees from selling alcohol and threatened to arrest employees because they were violating a city liquor law for theaters.
The law in question states that a theater presenting live performances can only serve alcohol in the theater's lobby an hour before the performance and during the intermission.
The owners of the Congress Theater argue that music venues are not the same as theaters. In the suit, the owners claim that while there is no definition of a "theater" in the city's liquor ordinance, the city's building code defines a theater as "an assembly unit designed or used primarily for theatrical performances."
The suit also claims that police officers have not used the law against other music venues—such as the Vic Theatre, the Aragon, the Chicago Theatre and the House of Blues.
A spokesman for the city's Law Department said he could not comment on the pending litigation.
The lawsuit asks a county judge to interpret the term "theater" and stop officers from enforcing the law on the Congress Theater.
The music venue has been under scrutiny since three teenage boys allegedly beat, raped and robbed an 18-year-old north suburban woman who had gone with friends to a New Year's Eve concert at the Congress Theater, but was denied entry because she didn't have an ID. The men have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to appear in court June 22.
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