Sandy Springs Wins Latest Round In Adult Entertainment Lawsuit

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- The legal battle between the city of Sandy Springs and adult entertainment establishments within its jurisdiction has a new development. On Nov. 27, the United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a petition from these businesses asking that the case be heard by a full panel of judges.

The three-judge panel of the circuit ruled in August that Sandy Springs did not violate the Constitution with implementing code restrictions targeting these businesses.

“We are obviously pleased that the court system continues to support our position,” said Sandy Springs City Attorney Dan Lee.

The case began in 2006 when adult entertainment clubs, Flashers and Mardi Gras, and bookstore, Inserection, challenged newly implemented codes that banned the sale of alcohol in strip clubs and placed zoning restrictions on where these business could operate.

The book store and clubs filed suit in U.S. District Court, alleging that Sandy Springs violated its First and Fourteenth Amendments under the U.S. Constitution. A March 2016 court ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May stated the city did not violate the U.S. Constitution in implementing code restrictions.

The plaintiffs have until the spring to ask the United States Supreme Court to take up their case.

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