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Saturday, July 04, 1998
Decision nears on legality of revoking brothel license
Associated Press
RENO -- A federal judge will rule next week on whether Storey County officials can revoke the brothel license of the Old Bridge Ranch bordello out of fear of the owner's association with the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.
The Storey County Commission and Sheriff Bob Del Carlo revoked the brothel's license on June 2. Del Carlo said Hells Angels members were seen at the brothel and that they posed a danger to the community.
The brothel has been closed since that time.
Brothel operator David Burgess contends the action violates his First Amendment rights of free speech and free association.
"Mr. Burgess has a right to associate with whoever he chooses," Burgess' lawyer, Rod Carucci, said during a federal court hearing on Thursday. "He does not have the right to criminal activity -- no one does. But no one has shown any evidence of that.
"Mr. Burgess has no criminal record and has held that license for more than 10 years," he continued. "That's more than a mere distinction."
Brent Kolvet, a lawyer for Storey County, countered that the county has a legitimate interest in who patronizes the brothel off Interstate 80 east of Reno and the associates of its operator.
"What we have said is ... you can't be a licensee and associate with those people in Storey County," Kolvet said.
The brothel business is a special kind of business, he argued, and the board has an obligation "to make sure the business is operated as beyond reproach and cleanly" as possible.
Burgess is seeking an injunction against the license revocation.
U.S. District Judge David Hagen said he was "intrigued" by Burgess' claims of First Amendment violations and indicated he would rule on Tuesday.
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