Tenn. Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Strip Club

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Tennessee Court of Appeals Tuesday upheld a lower court's ruling in favor of a strip club forced to close by local officials, later reopened under court order.

The ruling involved the "New York, New York" club near Memphis International Airport. Local government authorities claimed that the property couldn't reopen as a strip club because the owner, Steve Cooper, had closed it for remodeling and waited longer than a year to reopen it.

City codes would have allowed the strip club to be grandfathered into restrictions on such clubs in the area had Cooper reopened it sooner, attorneys for the city, county and code enforcement office contended.

A 2006 ruling by Circuit Court Judge Donna Fields said that the governments had caused the delay in reopening by revoking the permits Cooper needed to reopen. This ruling was upheld by the appeals court.

New York, New York closed in late 2002 for remodeling and remained closed because of the permits dispute until Fields' ruling.

"[The] club was closed for over two years because local authorities refused to grant the required permits, and their refusal stemmed from the adult-oriented use of the premises," Appeals Court Judge Holly M. Kirby wrote. "If this were deemed a discontinuance or an abandonment, this would in fact undermine the ordinances, allowing prior nonconforming uses under certain circumstances, because local authorities could force an abandonment by denying required permits or instituting legal action, even for spurious reasons."

Attorneys for the city and county told reporters they were still reviewing the ruling Tuesday evening.

Cooper is among several strip club owners suing the city and county in federal court over the county's recently enacted strip club ordinance, which forbids the sale or consumption of beer in the clubs and requires a permit system and criminal background checks to regulate workers and owners. The ordinance applies to the city of Memphis — unless or until the city enacts its own ordinance.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Le Wand Dive Gets Wired.com Review

Le Wand Dive has been spotlighted by WIRED with a review by tech and lifestyle journalist Amanda Chatel.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

Blush Introduces 'Splash' Vibe

Blush has debuted its new duck-themed Splash vibrator.

SVibe Debuts 2 New Vibrators

SVibe has introduced two new vibrators.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

ProDx Health Introduces 'Power Femme' Test

ProDx Health has introduced its new Power Femme Home Collection Kit.

Orion Expands Cottelli 'Accessoires' Line

Orion Wholesale has introduced five new “It” pieces from its Cottelli Accessoires line.

ANME Wraps With Product Drops and Partnerships

ANME wrapped on Wednesday, the event’s third day, after delivering a mix of product launches, power meetings and networking — all while preserving the laid-back vibe that attendees say always makes ANME feel like a homecoming.

Playharda Wholesale, Secret Dome Ink U.K. Distro Deal

Playharda Wholesale and BDSM brand Secret Dome have signed a deal for UK distribution.

Hankey's Toys Releases 'Kitsune's Knot' Dildo

Mr. Hankey's Toys has introduced its new Kitsune’s Knot dildo.

Show More