Massage Firms Say City Wants Them Gone
Owners of six massage businesses have filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that a 1994 law regulating their operations is an attempt to shut them down.
In 1992, the City Council adopted an ordinance requiring all massage businesses to apply for operating licenses.
Two years later, council members added a provision requiring masseurs seeking licenses to meet several requirements, including passing a written test with a 70% score.
The refinements were made, officials said, to curtail prostitution and other illegal activities that police said are sometimes fronted by massage businesses.
Many masseurs subsequently failed the test and lost their licenses, the lawsuit alleges, causing the owners of the Getaway, Mirage, International, Dove’s Nest, Rendezvous and Naomi Gardens to suffer financially, said John J. Donovan, attorney for the plaintiffs.
Donovan, whose law firm is based in Fullerton, said of city officials, “They’re using the guise of regulation to eliminate legitimate business.”
Newport Beach Mayor John W. Hedges said Friday that allegations in the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court, are unfounded.
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