'Height Of Irresponsibility': Suit Filed Against Nightclub Allegedly Hosting Parties In DTLA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Monday that his office had filed a lawsuit to shut down a nightclub allegedly operating illegally out of a storefront in the downtown Fashion District amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Feuer, the club has been the site of shootings, assaults and other criminal activity while also operating in violation of local health orders to slow the spread of coronavirus.
"We allege this club is a hub of violence and crime that spills out into the street and puts everyone in the Fashion District at risk, and we're stopping it now," Feuer said. "Beyond the bullets, assaults and criminal activity, packing people into an unlicensed nightclub during the pandemic is the height of irresponsibility."
According to Feuer, the Fashion District club — advertised on social media as L.A. Party Society — also lacked the proper permits to operate even if COVID-19 restrictions were not in place.
"When it comes to clubs, irrespective of their specific locations in the city, I want to say that if our office is referred any matter about which there could be a potentially unlawful gathering at an indoor location like one of these clubs, we're going to go after them," Feuer said.
Named in the suit are Frontier Holdings LLC and Regal Group LLL — both of which have an ownership interest in the property where the nightclub was held and are managed by David Taban, according to Feuer.
Taban, a real estate investor with dozens of properties in his portfolio, is currently being prosecuted in two separate criminal cases — one of which is tied to the alleged operation of an illegal marijuana dispensary next door to the club, Feuer said.
Also named in the suit is Yves Oscar Jr., a tenant and alleged operator of the club. He was arrested in August on an outstanding warrant tied to an alleged sexual assault, according to Feuer's office.
"We want to prevent the defendant from using this property in the future for a nightclub or any other unlawful purpose, and we're seeking civil penalties and fees from the defendants," Feuer said.
The club, advertised on social media as L.A. Party Society, was accessible via the alleyway on Main Street between 11th and 12th streets, according to the lawsuit. Feuer said a giant mural of a party is painted on the wall in front of the parking lot of the building.
Feuer said his office was working with the Los Angeles Police Department to possibly shut off the utilities to the location, but nobody had been arrested or criminally charged as a result of the civil case.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
