Karaoke Bar on the Fremont Street Experience Files a Lawsuit So It Can Reopen

Cat’s Meow, the karaoke bar inside Neonopolis on the Fremont Street Experience, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Nevada against the state on Friday, alleging that the state’s coronavirus pandemic orders to keep nightclubs closed are unconstitutional.

The state closed all nonessential businesses in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and nightclubs are still not allowed to reopen. KTNV reports that Cat’s Meow says the closures discriminate against karaoke bars, but not karaoke venues, since the venue obtained a nightclub license.

Cat’s Meow, which also has a location in New Orleans, filed the lawsuit against Gov. Steve Sisolak, the City of Las Vegas, and Nevada Attorney General’s Office and claims the order violates the First and Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The venue calls for a temporary restraining order so it can reopen and offer live entertainment with COVID-19 restrictions such as 50 percent capacity, mandatory masks, and social distancing in place.

Over the summer, the City of Las Vegas received 382 complaints about mask compliance from June 25 to July 15 and issued 25 notices to businesses not complying with the order, including Cat’s Meow, which received a civil penalty for noncompliance on July 10.

• Las Vegas karaoke bar sues Gov. Sisolak, calls closures bureaucratic, ‘censorship’ [KTNV]

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