Question of the Day - 08 December 2021

We updated this long-running dispute a couple of times in QoDs over the past two years, but we never ran the verdict. Here's a little background and the disposition of the case.  

The Downtown Grand’s beef with Hogs & Heifers stemmed from complaints by casino ownership that the bar is just too rowdy, even by Vegas standards. Court filings accuse H&H of having “created an unsafe environment that has consistently spilled into the common areas surrounding the bar without Landlord’s permission. … Numerous police and incident reports have been filed documenting the dangerous events (sometimes encouraged) by H&H.” The bar's employees were also accused of blasting the Third Street air with vulgar language, amplified through a megaphone.

Hogs & Heifers countered that the bar is defined in its lease as "colorful, boisterous, and raucous," with in-your-face female bravado on a bullhorn. It couldn’t be more clear.” Even so, H&H was served with an eviction notice in October 2019. 

When Hogs & Heifers contested in court, the judge enjoined the eviction and ordered the parties to return to court. The pandemic intervened, but the trial finally took place last June. On June 27, the judge handed down her ruling, siding, essentially, with the 13-year-old bar. In 2019, Hogs & Heifers sued the Downtown Grand for illegally attempting to evict the bar with more than 15 years left on its lease. The Downtown Grand countersued, claiming the bar had violated the lease. The judge ruled that 1) Hogs & Heifers should not be evicted; 2) it could use the street for future events; and 3) Downtown Grand was not entitled to damages for defamation.

All in all, it's a major victory for Hogs & Heifers, though perhaps a bit Pyrrhic, given the time and money invested in the lawsuit and the dysfunctional relationship with its landlord.