MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Seven adult nightclubs have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block a Shelby County ordinance that bans beer sales and topless dancing at sexually oriented businesses.
The ordinance also requires dancers to stay six feet away from customers and from one another during performances.
Club owners argue that dance performances will be "unconstitutionally diminished" by the ordinance, which they also say will destroy the adult entertainment market in and around Memphis.
County officials say they had anticipated a legal challenge.
County commissioners say they based the ordinance on Tennessee's Adult-Oriented Establishment Registration Act of 1998, which courts have upheld twice.
It's your turn to Speak Up! Memphis.