Attorneys for Rodeo Dallas say they plan to challenge a ruling that closes the Deep Ellum bar indefinitely.
That’s after a Dallas County judge closed Rodeo Dallas in Deep Ellum until further notice on Friday.
Judge Veretta Frazier ruled in favor of a temporary injunction because of the "threat of imminent and irreparable harm" to businesses leasing space by Asana Partners, the real estate investment firm that wants Rodeo to close.
Frazier's ruling closes the controversial nightclub until Asana Partners and Rodeo Dallas appear in court at a later date.
But Dave Wishnew, an attorney for Rodeo Dallas, said in a statement that the bar cannot afford to wait.
He said that they are "frustrated and disappointed" with the decision for a temporary injunction.
"Rodeo will be forced to lay off its hard-working employees and turn away customers for the foreseeable future," Wishnew said in the statement, adding that Rodeo may not survive under an indefinite closure.
Rodeo plans to challenge the temporary injunction with the Dallas Court of Appeals. Wishnew said his team is "confident" the temporary injunction will be overturned.
KERA News reached out to Asana Partners for comment and will update with story with a response.
Wishnew said in his statement that Rodeo's ownership and employees have worked "tirelessly" to improve safety and security in and around its business, but allege that the bar has been painted as the source of broader safety issues in Deep Ellum.
"Perhaps worse, this ruling will embolden property management companies, competitors, and local politicians to continue targeting businesses whose clientele do not match their preferred vision for Deep Ellum," Wishnew said, repeating a sentiment from last month's hearing.
Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno has pushed back on that allegation, previously telling KERA News that concerns over Rodeo are centered around public safety.
Attorneys for Asana Partners have argued that Rodeo allows minors inside the bar, overserves its customers, and takes no responsibility for the state of its clientele once they leave the bar.
Meanwhile Rodeo's attorneys have said the nightclub is not responsible for preventing crime in the neighborhood.
However, Sriram Villupuram, a finance and real estate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, said the bigger issue is how violent crime reduces property values.
Open stores create foot traffic, providing for more "eyes on the street," Villupuram said. This enhances the perception of safety and encourages people to visit and shop.
Violent crime, however, can damage property values and hurt businesses, causing shops to close and crime to increase. If an establishment like Rodeo is unable to keep crime outside its business at bay, it could have negative spillover effects for the whole neighborhood and could eventually impact their business too, he said.
"We lose establishments because of this perception of the place being unsafe, the area being unsafe," Villupuram said. "Then that takes so many steps back in the whole process here."
Frazier said in her ruling that Rodeo's patrons were "often loud, boisterous, intoxicated, and in certain instances violent."
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