Brea’s Queen Lingerie Shop Finally Agrees to City Plea to Put Close On : Settlement: ‘Modeling studio’ that outraged neighbors will shut down in exchange for dropping of charges against owners.

Queen Lingerie, whose G-string and sequined clad models enticed patrons and angered residents in one of this city’s most exclusive neighborhoods, has decided to throw in the lace towel.

Under an out-of-court settlement reached this week, the owners of the Birch Street shop agreed to close down by April 16 in return for the city’s promise to drop all criminal charges against them. Hassan Halabi and Nabil Abouriche, who bought the business last year and have been fighting ever since to keep it open, also agreed to pay the city’s $750 in court costs.

The compromise stipulates that if the shop is closed by April 16 the charges will automatically be dismissed. If not, the city intends to refile the charges and the pair will wind up back in court.

Until recently, Halabi and Abouriche had vowed to beat the charges and ignored the city’s orders to shut down. However, this time, they said, the pressure was just too much.

“It is not worth the headaches,” Halabi said about the potential court battle. “We never intended to upset our neighbors. We are trying to make the people happy.”

On Monday, the city amended its original complaint adding a total of 288 criminal misdemeanor counts against the pair, each carrying the possibility of a six-month jail term and a $500 fine. That averages out to three counts for each day since Queen Lingerie opened Nov. 7.

City officials meanwhile, welcomed the news.

“We are very, very pleased that they chose not to continue to fight,” said Assistant City Manager Tim O’Donnell. “It is not an appropriate type of business in the city of Brea.”

Initially, when the models first came to town, the owners were granted operating permits without incident. However, residents living in the surrounding area soon became alarmed when they noticed a lot of men going in and out of the shop.

They complained to the City Council that the modeling studio, which offered a “free private show” with any $50 purchase, was nothing more than a peep show that attracted undesirables into the neighborhood.

Some said they feared for the safety of their children who often played near the shop.

Faced with a public outcry, the city began a campaign to shut the business down.

In February, officials filed a complaint alleging that Queen Lingerie was illegally operating an adult modeling studio, public dance hall and providing public entertainment. Misdemeanor criminal charges were later filed against the business.

The ensuing hoopla garnered national attention. The shop was featured on television’s tabloid shows “Hard Copy” and “Inside Edition.” Known for its offbeat sales approach, the shop transformed the examining rooms in the two former chiropractors’ office into several fantasy theme rooms. In a Richard M. Nixon-theme room, for instance, models slithered atop a likeness of the former President’s desk and hung from the bars in a room transformed into a jail cell for $50.

The models, many of whom were local college students, blamed jealous housewives for the flap.

Meanwhile, Halabi and Abouriche said they are tired of the lingerie business and don’t have any immediate plans to take their business elsewhere.

However, Assistant City Atty. Gregory Palmer said Brea officials aren’t so sure.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed,” Palmer said. “But between now and then we are preparing for a trial.”