Ruling Shuts Doors of Adult Restaurant
The only adult-entertainment establishment in the city will be forced to close its doors next week.
Attorneys for the city of Newport Beach said Friday that Orange County Superior Court Judge Francisco Firmat upheld their request to close the Mermaid.
Jeff Goldfarb, attorney for the city, said the establishment is in violation of a number of city ordinances and that the only way the Mermaid will remain open is if the state Court of Appeals intervenes next week.
Attorneys for the Mermaid argued that a jury trial should decide the fate of the restaurant, which features topless entertainment. But Firmat denied that request, which would have delayed the closing.
Since the business first applied several years ago for a permit to operate in Newport Beach, the City Council has passed several ordinances that strictly limit operation of adult businesses.
When those ordinances, such as a no-touching rule, were purportedly violated, the city revoked the Mermaid’s business permit.
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