Borrago v. City of Louisville

456 F. Supp. 30, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19549
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedFebruary 15, 1978
DocketCiv. A. C 77-0491 L(A), C 77-0522 L(A)
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 456 F. Supp. 30 (Borrago v. City of Louisville) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Borrago v. City of Louisville, 456 F. Supp. 30, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19549 (W.D. Ky. 1978).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ALLEN, Chief Judge.

The above-styled actions have been consolidated since they involve identical issues and, therefore, this memorandum opinion is applicable to both actions. A case involving the identical issues presented in these two actions has recently been decided by The Honorable Thomas A. Ballantine, Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.

Plaintiff, Mac Borrago, d/b/a Show World Cinema X, Ideal Art Cinema and Shelmar Follies, has presented to the Court his written motion for a preliminary injunction, together with a memorandum in support thereof, and defendants, City of Louisville, et al, have, in turn, filed their memorandum in opposition to the motion.

The plaintiff seeks to enjoin the enforcement of Ordinance No. 69, Series 1977, City of Louisville. That Ordinance contains a declaration to the effect that the regulation of adult entertainment activities within the City is a public necessity and is required to protect property values, eliminate blight, and prevent further deterioration of the City’s neighborhoods, promote the return of residents and businesses to the City’s neighborhoods, and decrease the incidence of crime and juvenile delinquency.

The declaration is buttressed by findings that the adult entertainment activities are located near parks, malls, and open spaces, and near schools that eater to use by family groups and children, and have an adverse effect on the use of such properties; that these entertainment activities contribute to increased crime and juvenile delinquency; that they tend to attract an undesirable quantity and quality of clientele; and adversely affect property values; and contribute to a general deterioration of the City’s neighborhoods; that millions of dollars have been spent by the City and the United States on Urban Renewal and other projects to eliminate blight and prevent such deterioration; and that the City is presently engaged in attempting to promote the return of residents and businesses to the City.

The Ordinance, in Section 2 E, defines “Adult Entertainment Activities” and does so in specific language tailored to the opinion of the Supreme Court in the case of Young v. American Mini Theatres, 427 U.S. 50, 96 S.Ct. 2440, 49 L.Ed.2d 310 (1976). In Section 3, the Ordinance restricts adult entertainment establishments from having more than one outside sign, which is not to exceed 10 feet in length and 3 feet in width, and which is not to contain any emphasis, either by wording or picture or otherwise, on matters relating to sexual activities.

Section 3 B prohibits the display of stock-in-trade of adult entertainment establishments to the public view from outside the establishment. Section 3 C prohibits the entry of a person under 18 years of age into such establishments, and Section 3 D provides that the operator of such establishments shall insure compliance with Section 3 C by having an attendant at the entrance to his establishment. Section 3 E pertains to adult amusement arcades and contains other safety regulations. Section 4 requires the licensing of adult entertainment activity together with the giving of certain information as to the ownership thereof, along with information pertaining to criminal convictions of the applicant and his fellow-owners, partners and agents.

Other provisions in the licensing portion of the Ordinance provide for such matters as proof of registration with the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, Certificate of Occupancy issued by the Zoning Inspector, and a certificate from the Louisville Division of Fire stating that all fire regulations have been met. Section 4 B through K relates to the issuance of licenses and the effective date of the Ordinance, and provides for an annual license fee of $250, with a license fee transfer to be assessed at $100.

If the owner, or any employee, partner, director or shareholder has committed a felony or crime of moral turpitude, or if such crimes are committed on the premises, *32 the Director of Safety is given the power to revoke the license. In addition, any person who violates the provision of the Ordinance, upon conviction, is subject to fines not to exceed $100 per day or imprisonment not to exceed 50 days, or both, for each offense. Each day of each violation constitutes a separate offense.

The Supreme Court case most nearly in point is Young v. American Mini Theatres, supra. There, the Supreme Court upheld zoning ordinances adopted by the City of Detroit to differentiate between motion picture theatres which exhibit sexually explicit movies and those which do not. The ordinances prohibited the location of an adult theatre within 1,000 feet of any other two “ ‘regulated uses’ ” or within 500 feet of a residential area.

In reaching its decision, the court noted at p. 62 of 427 U.S., at p. 2448 of 96 S.Ct., “that the commercial exploitation of material protected by the First Amendment is subject to zoning and other licensing requirements” and further that a city may control the location of such theatres either by confining them to certain specified commercial zones or requiring that they be dispersed throughout the city.

Since Young, supra, explicitly holds that the regulation of the place where adult films may be exhibited does not offend the First Amendment, it does not control the decision of the case at bar. However, it approves the statements made by District Judges Kennedy and Gubow in the district court’s joint opinion disposing of Young and its companion case to the effect that where “the City has stated a reason for adopting an ordinance which is a subject of legitimate concern, that statement of purpose is not subject to attack.” See 427 U.S. at p. 56, footnote 11, 96 S.Ct. at 2445, and Nortown Theatre Incorporated v. Gribbs, 373 F.Supp. 363, 367 (E.D.Mich.1974).

Since the City has stated a reason for adopting the Ordinance which is a matter of legitimate concern, we turn now to the test proposed by Mr. Justice Powell in his concurring opinion in Young, supra, where he states that the ordinance in Young prompted essentially two inquiries with respect to the First Amendment. The first is “(d)oes the ordinance impose any content limitation on the creators of adult movies or their ability to make them available to whom they desire” and secondly “does it restrict in any significant way the viewing of these movies by those who desire to see them?” The answer to both of these inquiries is in the negative, with the exception of that portion of the Ordinance referring to juveniles. However, under the holding in Ginsberg v. New York, 390 U.S. 629, 88 S.Ct. 1274, 20 L.Ed.2d 195 (1968), and the dissenting opinion in Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton, 413 U.S. 49, 73, 93 S.Ct. 2628, 37 L.Ed.2d 446 (1973), the state may prohibit the distribution or exhibition of explicit sexual materials to juveniles even though not obscene.

With regard to the question of the billboard or advertising of plaintiff’s business, we believe that such cases as Lehman v. City of Shaker Heights,

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Bluebook (online)
456 F. Supp. 30, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19549, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/borrago-v-city-of-louisville-kywd-1978.