Sisters of St. Charles v. Club Allure

In People of the State of Illinois ex rel. Sisters of St. Charles v. Stone Lake Partners, L.L.C. d/b/a Club Allure, the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo, Melrose Park residents, and the Village of Melrose Park sued Club Allure, a strip club in Stone Park, Illinois, its owners, and the Village of Stone Park.

Filed in 2014, the lawsuit alleged Club Allure, built adjacent to the nuns’ property (spanning Stone Park and Melrose Park, including chapels and a school), constituted a public nuisance under the Lewdness Public Nuisance Act (740 ILCS 105/1). The Second Amended Complaint detailed prostitution violating 720 ILCS 5/11-14(a) (People v. Hill, 2002). Over a dozen investigator visits from June 2014 to April 2016 confirmed consistent illicit acts. The complaint also claimed private nuisance from noise, fights, public urination, and lights disrupting the nuns’ prayer and neighbors’ peace, plus zoning violations for operating within 1,000 feet of worship sites.

Represented by Thomas More Society, plaintiffs sought injunctions and abatement.

On December 20, 2016, Judge Peter Flynn denied dismissal, finding sufficient evidence of prostitution. In November 2016, Stone Park revoked Club Allure’s liquor license, and after sustained legal battles and community protests since 2012, the club permanently closed in December 2017, restoring peace for the nuns and their neighbors.