Vanda Hodge Pub, Inc. v. New York State Liquor Authority

215 A.D.2d 35, 634 N.Y.S.2d 152, 1995 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12017
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedNovember 20, 1995
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 215 A.D.2d 35 (Vanda Hodge Pub, Inc. v. New York State Liquor Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vanda Hodge Pub, Inc. v. New York State Liquor Authority, 215 A.D.2d 35, 634 N.Y.S.2d 152, 1995 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12017 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Goldstein, J.

At issue here is whether the New York State Liquor Authority (hereinafter the SLA) properly revoked the petitioner’s liquor license based in part on a violation of 9 NYCRR 53.1 (s), commonly known as the "Six-Foot Rule”, which prohibits "suffering or permitting” topless dancers from performing less than six feet from any patron on a licensed premises. The petitioner contends that the "Six-Foot Rule” is invalid, on the ground that the SLA lacked statutory authority to promulgate that rule. The petitioner further contends that the SLA lacked jurisdiction over it, because its liquor license was under suspension at the time the charged conduct occurred, and, in any event, the charged conduct was not established by substantial evidence, and the penalty of revocation was arbitrary and capricious. I find that each of these contentions is without merit.

FACTS

On July 22, 1993, while the petitioner’s liquor license was under suspension for violating 9 NYCRR 53.1 (s), Investigator Byron Mars of the SLA visited the premises, posing as a customer.

Mars testified at an administrative hearing that the barmaid told him that the premises’ liquor license was temporarily suspended, and offered him nonalcoholic beer, which he [38]*38purchased. According to Mars, he and four other patrons went into a "back room”, where a topless dancer appeared, wearing only a G-string. During the performance patrons walked up to the dancer and placed dollars in her G-string. At one point during the performance, the dancer removed her G-string, exposing her vagina and pubic hair.

At the administrative hearing, the petitioner presented the testimony of a barmaid and several customers that no dancing occurred on the premises after its liquor license was suspended. Vanda Hodge, the owner of the premises, testified that she was "in the bar every single day”, and took the position that if there had been lewd dancing, she would have known about it.

The SLA found the petitioner guilty of the following charges:

"1. That on July 22, 1993, the licensee suffered or permitted a female or females to appear on the licensed premises in such a manner or attire as to expose a portion of the breast below the top of the areola while said female or females were not on a stage at least 6 feet from the nearest patron and/or 18 inches off the floor; all cause for revocation, cancellation or suspension of the license in accordance with Rule 36.1 (s) of the Rules of the State Liquor Authority [9 NYCRR 53.1 (s)].

"2. That on July 22, 1993, the licensee suffered or permitted the licensed premises to become disorderly by suffering or permitting lewd and indecent performances thereon; in violation of subdivision 6 of Section 106 of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.”

THE "SIX-FOOT RULE”

9 NYCRR 53.1 (s) (also known as SLA rule 36.1 [s]), permits the SLA to revoke, cancel or suspend a liquor license: "For suffering or permitting any female to appear on licensed premises in such manner or attire as to expose to view any portion of the breast below the top of the areola, or any simulation thereof. The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to any female entertainer performing on a stage or platform which is at least 18 inches above the immediate floor level and which is removed at least six feet from the nearest patron.”

That provision, known as the "Six-Foot Rule”, was originally enacted in 1975 in its current form (see, Jay-Jay Cabaret v State of New York, 215 AD2d 172; Bellanca v New York State [39]*39Liq. Auth., 54 NY2d 228, 232, n 2, cert denied 456 US 1006). In 1977, Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 106 was amended to add a new subdivision (6-a) (L 1977, ch 321), which provides: "No retail licensee for on-premises consumption shall suffer or permit any person to appear on licensed premises in such manner or attire as to expose to view any portion of the pubic area, anus, vulva or genitals, or any simulation thereof, nor shall suffer or permit any female to appear on licensed premises in such manner or attire as to expose to view any portion of the breast below the top of the areola, or any simulation thereof.”

That amendment imposed a blanket prohibition upon topless dancing. Simultaneously therewith, 9 NYCRR 53.1 (s) was also amended to delete the so-called "Six-Foot Rule”, permitting topless dancing by entertainers on a stage 18 inches above the floor and six feet from any patron.

In Bellanea v New York State Liq. Auth. (54 NY2d 228, 231, supra), the Court of Appeals ruled that Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 106 (6-a) "insofar as it prohibits topless dancing” violated the New York State Constitution, because topless dancing was a form of expression. In that decision, the Court of Appeals specifically stated that topless dancing could be reasonably regulated, and cited the Six-Foot Rule as an example of such regulation (Bellanca v New York State Liq. Auth., supra, at 231-232).

In 1982, 9 NYCRR 53.1 (s) was repromulgated (Jay-Jay Cabaret v State of New York, 215 AD2d 172, supra). The "Six-Foot Rule” was reinserted, and it now reads the same as it did prior to 1977 (see, NY Reg, Aug. 4, 1982, at 12; Matter of Highway Tavern Corp. v McLaughlin, 105 AD2d 122).

The petitioner does not contend that 9 NYCRR 53.1 (s) is unconstitutional. Rather, the petitioner contends that the "Six-Foot Rule” runs afoul of the principles enunciated in Matter of Beer Garden v New York State Liq. Auth. (79 NY2d 266, 275), which held that "the Legislature has granted the SLA specific and particular, rather than general, rule-making authority”. That case dealt with an interpretation of Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 106 (6) which provides that no licensee shall "suffer or permit” a premises to "become disorderly”. Pursuant to that subdivision, the SLA promulgated a rule, 9 NYCRR 53.1 (q), authorizing revocation, cancellation, or suspension of a liquor license if "any noise, disturbance [40]*40* * * disorder, act or activity occurs in the licensed premises * * * [which] results in the licensed premises becoming a focal point for police attention”. The SLA contended that, under that rule, it was unnecessary to establish that the licensee was aware of the alleged misconduct (Matter of Beer Garden v New York State Liq. Auth., supra, at 272-273). The Court of Appeals found the rule, or at least the SLA’s interpretation of the rule, "strayed from Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 106 (6)” which imposed a legislative requirement that the licensee "suffer or permit” and therefore be aware of the disorderly conduct (Matter of Beer Garden v New York State Liq. Auth., supra, at 277).

In Jay-Jay Cabaret v State of New York (215 AD2d 172, 173, supra), the Appellate Division, First Department, following Matter of Beer Garden v New York State Liq. Auth. (supra), held that 9 NYCRR 53.1 (s) was invalid, because it imposed a " 'no-fault’ proximity rule requiring no element of 'disorder’ to establish a violation”. However, 9 NYCRR 53.1 (s) contains the requisite "suffer or permit” language.

Statutory authority for the promulgation of that provision can be found in Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 106 (6). The decision of the First Department in Jay-Jay Cabaret v State of New York (supra)

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Bluebook (online)
215 A.D.2d 35, 634 N.Y.S.2d 152, 1995 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12017, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vanda-hodge-pub-inc-v-new-york-state-liquor-authority-nyappdiv-1995.