Strip
Club Protestors
Fire Back
By US~Observer Staff
Douglas
County, OR -- On or about July 12, 2006 the Josephine County
residents who actively participated in the protesting of Club 71, the
county's only strip club, and who were targeted by club owner Larry
Lacey, his attorney Claud Ingram, and a Club 71 regular patron Greg
Staton in two separate but strikingly similar lawsuits, have filed suit
against Ingram and Staten claiming, "damages for wrongful use of
civil proceedings (ORS § 31.230), intentional, reckless, or negligent
infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy.”
The
protestors, Dorothy Sims, Herbert Gelwick, Jerry Franklin, Jeanette
Franklin, Tiffany Gendron, Carl Pierce, Jan Pierce, Garry Rose, Olivia
Wytcherley, and Carol Ahlf all contend in their lawsuit filing that
Lacey, through his attorney Ingram, and Greg Staten, did maliciously
file suit against them for the following, "unlawful and improper
purposes: to retaliate against Plaintiffs for their exercise of First
Amendment rights; to intimidate and discourage Plaintiffs from engaging
in further demonstration activity at Club 71; to harass them; and to
cause them severe emotional distress." Both prior suits against
the named protestors were dismissed. In Lacey's case against them he
was ordered to pay approximately $19,000 in attorneys' fees, and Staten's
suit Staten moved to voluntarily dismiss his action against these named
individuals as he admitted under oath that he had no knowledge that
any of the defendants (those demonstrators named herein) committed any
of the acts that formed the basis of his lawsuit.
The
protestors listed above have been successfully represented by the AMERICAN
FAMILY ASSOCIATION (AFA) CENTER FOR LAW & POLICY (www.afa.net) a
not-for-profit organization who according to their web site, "responds
to the requests of Christians for legal representation involving first
amendment free speech and free exercise rights as well as the constitutional
issues involved in the continuing battle against pornography and obscenity."
The
protestors are seeking total compensatory damages in excess of $10 million,
punitive damages to be determined by a jury, litigation and attorneys'
fees, as well as any other relief they may be entitled to.
Editor's
Note: The US~Observer will keep you informed on the status of this suit
as it unfolds.