Court Issues Ultimatum to Liquor Store on Illegal Sales

A Granada Hills liquor store owner, cited by authorities several times last year for selling alcohol to minors, could be sent to jail or put out of business if she violates a court order handed down earlier this week.

Under an injunction issued Tuesday by Superior Court Judge William Huss, Marie Francoise Teolis, owner of Granada Liquor, is expressly prohibited from “selling, serving or giving away” liquor to anyone under 21. Although selling alcohol to minors already constitutes a misdemeanor under state criminal law, the civil court order allows for quick enforcement of the ban.

The injunction was issued in response to a lawsuit brought by the city attorney’s office, which labeled the store a public nuisance after Teolis and at least one of her employees were cited for selling liquor to minors in a series of incidents late last year.

Teolis, 49, could be fined up to $1,000 and jailed up to six months if she violates the injunction and is found to be in contempt of court, Deputy City Atty. Henry A. Burr III said Wednesday. In an extreme instance, Teolis could be forced to close the store at 16205 Devonshire St.

However, Burr said, “what we’ve found in 99% of abatement cases is that a preliminary injunction does the trick.” If so, “we wouldn’t be seeking further legal action.”

Teolis, reached at her store, declined to comment.

For the past two years, the city attorney’s office, working with the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Los Angeles Police Department, has stepped up efforts to clamp down on the illegal sale of alcohol. Recourse to civil court channels has increased as the number of proprietors caught violating the ban has risen.

“The criteria for taking this type of action . . . is wherever the traditional law enforcement is not working,” city attorney spokesman Mike Qualls said. “The injunction gives us that civil tool as well that can lead to closure of that property.”

Police began monitoring Granada Liquor last year after receiving several complaints from nearby residents that Teolis and her employees allowed minors to buy alcohol. At least six citations were issued between Sept. 1 and Dec. 21, Qualls said.

Earlier this year, the Van Nuys district office of the ABC notified Teolis that her license would be suspended for 30 days as a result of two of those infractions, according to district administrator Jim Smith. Teolis elected to pay a fine--not yet determined--in lieu of half the suspension time, with the other half of the suspension set aside on condition that there be no additional infractions for a year.

But two weeks ago, because of the additional infractions, the ABC moved to impose a 60-day suspension on Granada Liquor, with no substitutional fine allowed, Smith said. Teolis can either agree to the decision or request a hearing before an administrative law judge, he said.