City Paid $40K to Attorney Who Worked On Adult Business Ordinance

The City of Brookhaven has paid about $40,000 to the attorney who helped author its controversial ordinance prohibiting alcohol from being sold at adult businesses where nudity is present.

The money has been paid to Scott Bergthold, a Chattanooga, Tenn., attorney, who helped the city draft the ordinance and is known in legal circles nationwide for helping municipalities fight adult businesses, according to The Brookhaven Post.

From the article:

Obtained in Open Records requests, The Brookhaven Post learned that Scott D. Bergthold has been paid nearly $40,000.00 by the City of Brookhaven to date ($39,942.37 to be exact), and unless the City ends its relationship with him, that number will rise as services are rendered.

We also learned that the money is being paid to Bergthold through the Interim City Attorney’s law firm, Riley McLendon.

Read the full post for more information, including the payment records.

The ordinance sparked a lawsuit from Brookhaven's Pink Pony strip club in May. The club claimed the city was illegally trying to run it out of business by forcing it to stop selling alcohol. The city temporarily backed off in June, exempting the club from its new ordinance until a court rules on its legality.

Read also:

• City Asks Court to Throw Out Pink Pony Lawsuit
• City Offers Q&A on Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance
• Brookhaven Halts Enforcing Ordinance Against the Pink Pony
• Pink Pony: City's Attorney Waging Biased Crusade Against Strip Club