Porno bookstore sues city; wants to reopen

Porno bookstore sues city; wants to reopen

The continuing legal battle between the City of Ann Arbor and the Danish News Co., an adult bookstore at 209 N. Fourth Ave., has moved to a new front.

Lawyers for the bookstore have filed suit against the city in U.S. District Court in Detroit, charging violation of First Amendment rights to free speech. Danish News is seeking a court order prohibiting Ann Arbor officials from enforcing the zoning law they have used as a weapon against the bookstore.

Judge Patricia Boyle has scheduled a hearing for Nov. 3.

Terry Shoultes, owner of the bookstore, has previously accused the city of harassing his business.

Danish News has been closed since mid-June, after the city obtained an injunction against the bookstore in Washtenaw County Circuit Court. That case is still pending before Judge Henry T. Coni in.

City Attorney R. Bruce Laid law said this morning that Ann Arbor’s zoning code requires adult bookstores to be located within the central business district. Danish News is located a few hundred feet outside that district, in an area zoned for a mix of business and residential use.

State appellate courts have already rejected a request from the bookstore owners to review Conlin’s injunction. Neighbors of the Danish News - including the Ann Arbor Womens Crisis Center, located directly above the bookstore - are opposed to its location, Laidlaw noted.

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