Advertisement

New York moves to strip Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall of liquor licenses

Madison Square Garden, the famed Manhattan arena, may lose its liquor license amid an escalating feud between regulators and the venue’s parent company. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Madison Square Garden, the famed Manhattan arena, may lose its liquor license amid an escalating feud between regulators and the venue’s parent company. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

March 12 (UPI) -- Madison Square Garden, the famed Manhattan arena, may lose its liquor license amid an escalating feud between regulators and the venue's parent company.

The New York State Liquor Authority hit the Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. with four violations for banning attorneys currently involved in litigation against the company and its venues, which also include the Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theater, the New York Post reported.

Advertisement

Retail venues that sell alcohol are required by state law to allow access to the public. Radio City and the Beacon Theater are also at risk of losing their liquor licenses.

MSG Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against the regulators in retaliation for being slapped with the violations, Bloomberg reported.

James Dolan, the chairman and chief executive of MSG Entertainment, filed the petition with the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan asking the judge to stop the violations.

"While others that have been subject to this harassment may have been forced into submission or silence, we are taking a stand on behalf of our fans and the many small businesses who have long been subject to the SLA's corruption," Dolan said in a statement to Bloomberg.

Advertisement

In the 47-page document, obtained by the New York Post, MSG Entertainment blasted the violations as "an assault" on the company and the sports fans who visit the iconic indoor stadium.

The regulators have been probing whether the lawyer ban and the use of facial recognition technology the company has used to enforce it violate state laws, according to the New York Post.

According to WNYW, New York State Attorney General Letitia James remarked on the disagreement in January stating that the lawyer bans may violate anti-bias laws.

Latest Headlines