State ex rel. Pizza v. Tom. S. A., Inc.

428 N.E.2d 878, 68 Ohio Misc. 19
CourtLucas County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedAugust 17, 1981
DocketNo. 81-1870
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 428 N.E.2d 878 (State ex rel. Pizza v. Tom. S. A., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Lucas County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Pizza v. Tom. S. A., Inc., 428 N.E.2d 878, 68 Ohio Misc. 19 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1981).

Opinion

Riley, J.

This cause came on for hearing on August 10, 1981, on plaintiffs application to both temporarily and permanently enjoin the defendants from staging a rock concert at the Toledo Speedway on August 23, 1981. Plaintiff, on behalf of the state, seeks injunctive relief pursuant to R. C. 3719.10 and R. C. Chapter 3767, which define nuisance, the persons liable therefor and the procedures to abate such nuisance. The court, after full consideration of the pleadings, testimony and exhibits presented at the hearing and the arguments of counsel finds that the plaintiffs application for injunctive relief is not well taken and should be denied.

Any premises or real estate, including vacant land, on which a felony drug violation occurs constitutes a nuisance subject to abatement pursuant to R. C. Chapter 3767. R. C. 3719.10. Plaintiff argues that this statute requires the court to enjoin the rock concert because felony drug violations occurred at a rock concert held at defendants’ premises on August 17, 1980.

Ohio’s nuisance statutes are subject, as are all statutes, to constitutional limitations. The Constitutions of both the state of Ohio and the United States prohibit governmental actions that would abridge the right of free speech, First and Fourteenth Amendments to United States Constitution; Section 11, Article I, Ohio Constitution, or the right to hear such speech, Brooks v. Auburn University (C.A. 5,1969), 412 F. 2d 1171, 1172. The importance of the right of free speech to our freedoms as a whole cannot be overemphasized. Zamora v. Columbia Broadcasting System (S.D. Fla. 1979), 480 F. Supp. 199, 203. It is a basic, fundamental right, and any governmen[21]*21tal action which tends to affect the freedom of expression must be viewed with suspicion and be subjected to close judicial scrutiny. Dewine v. Ohio Elections Commission (1978), 61 Ohio App. 2d 25, 399 N.E. 2d 99.

Above all else, the right of free expression means that the government has no power to restrict expression because of the message, ideas, subject matter, content, popularity or social utility of the ideas and beliefs put forward. Police Dept. of Chicago v. Mosley (1972), 408 U. S. 92, 95; Solid Rock Foundation v. Ohio St. University (S.D. Ohio 1979), 478 F. Supp. 96, 100; Cincinnati v. Black (1966), 8 Ohio App. 2d 143, 220 N.E. 2d 821. Thus, entertainment enjoys protection under the First Amendment. Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting (1977), 433 U. S. 562, 578. Such protection is not diminished even though the activity is a large-scale business and the sole reason for the expressive conduct is the likelihood of pecuniary enrichment. Southeastern Promotions, LTD v. West Palm Beach (C.A. 5, 1972), 457 F. 2d 1016, 1020; State, ex rel. Keating, v. Vixen (1971), 27 Ohio St. 2d 278, 272 N.E. 2d 137, reversed on other grounds sub nom. Motion Picture Film Entitled “Vixen” v. Ohio, ex rel. Keating (1972), 413 U. S. 905, rehearing denied (1973), 414 U. S. 881. Therefore, the staging of a musical production for profit, such as the defendants’ rock concert, is entitled to protection under the right of free expression. Southeastern Promotions, LTD, v. Mobile (C.A. 5, 1972), 457 F. 2d 340; Goldstein v. Nantucket (D. Mass. 1979), 477 F. Supp. 606; People of New York v. Remeny (N.Y. City Crim. Ct. 1974), 79 Misc. 2d 160, 359 N.Y. Supp. 2d 504, affirmed (App. Div. 1975), 83 Misc. 2d 459, 367 N.Y. Supp. 2d 146. Since the state seeks to enjoin not only the felony drug violations occurring on the defendants’ property but also the concert itself, the state’s action must comply with the constitutional limitations on governmental action which abridges the right of freedom of expression.

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Related

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573 N.E.2d 747 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
428 N.E.2d 878, 68 Ohio Misc. 19, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-pizza-v-tom-s-a-inc-ohctcompllucas-1981.