Strip Club Owners Sue Small Business Administration for Blocking Access to COVID-19 Relief

PHILADELPHIA — A group of strip bar owners have sued the U.S. Small Business Administration after they were left out of restaurant COVID-19 relief legislation, arguing they were improperly classified as “prurient” and obscene and that their First and Fifth Amendment rights have been violated.

In a May 14 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, plaintiffs, which operate eight strip clubs in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, California, Maryland and Nevada, contend they are entitled to grants from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), which was created under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). …