Strip club still open while California vows legal action
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A San Diego strip club kept on offering live adult entertainment over the weekend despite a warning from California’s attorney general, who has vowed to take legal action if the business does not close to comply with the state’s stay-at-home order that was issued this month.
Jason Saccuzzo, the lawyer for Pacers Showgirls International, said Monday that a court order issued last month makes it clear the business is protected from restrictions issued by San Diego County and state officials.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a cease-and-desist letter sent to Pacers and Cheetahs Gentlemen’s Club last Friday that they are violating the state’s new stay-at-home policy, which bars indoor and outdoor dining and prohibits social gatherings in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
“Our view is the existing order from the court allows us to have live adult entertainment and I don’t think the state issuing a cease-and-desist letter trumps the court order," Saccuzzo said. “But we are still considering our options."
He said he planned to reach out to the state Monday to get clarity.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday, when the judge is expected to decide whether the preliminary injunction he granted last month allowing Pacers and Cheetahs Gentlemen's Club to remain open extends to the new stay-at-home orders.
Steve Hoffman, the attorney representing Cheetahs, said the club was closed Monday and will remain shuttered through Tuesday for reasons unrelated to the cease-and-desist letter from the state issued last Friday.
He declined to say why the club was closed and said he did not know if Cheetahs was open over the weekend.
The state order issued Dec. 6 covers Southern California and is based on the level...