A judge ordered the city of Fort Worth to temporarily allow a sexually-oriented business to remain open until Friday after the city first said it must close for failing to renew its city permit.
Corsets Caberet, at 8128 Camp Bowie West, missed a deadline to renew its city permit and must apply for a new one, a city attorney told the club. The city said it received the cabaret's renewal application for its certificate of occupancy on Feb. 8 but that its permit expired Dec. 13, 2018.
In a Feb. 21 letter to the club’s attorneys, Fort Worth Assistant City Attorney Chris Mosely said because Corsets missed its deadline, it cannot appeal the city's decision.
"Importantly, your client must cease operations immediately as Corsets Cabaret is operating illegally," Mosely wrote.
The cabaret then filed a lawsuit against the city. The city denied all the allegations in the lawsuit and also claimed the city can't be sued in such cases because of governmental immunity.
On Feb. 25, Judge Kimberly Fitzpatrick issued a temporary restraining order preventing the city from taking any action at least until a hearing scheduled for Monday morning, March 4.
On Tuesday, March 5, the city told NBC 5 the court has asked for more information and that another hearing will be set for Friday, March 8, at 10 a.m. and that the bar can remain open until then. At Friday's hearing, the city anticipates that the court will decide whether Corsets will be allowed to remain open pending the final trial.
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Fitzpatrick is hearing the case after Judge Josh Burgess recused himself.
A sexually-oriented business has been at the same location for three decades with no problems and is "grandfathered in" to city zoning laws, the club's lawyer said. It was previously known as Sinbad's.
In August, one man was killed and three others injured in a shooting outside the strip club.
Corsets Cabaret is owned by Fred's Bluelight Investments LLC.
