Lynn bar’s court hearing set for Thursday

LYNN – City officials will square off with Broad Street bar Champion at a Salem Superior Court hearing Thursday at 2 p.m.
The hearing was requested by bar owner Liang Bo Li to obtain a temporary restraining order against a rollback of his hours from 1 a.m. to midnight that was handed down by the Licensing Board Aug. 26 for a third offense of serving alcohol to a minor.
Li filed a complaint Sept. 10 and requested a short order for a speedy hearing in an attempt to get the situation resolved.
Attorney John Mihos, who is representing Li, said Thursday?s court date would most likely not yield an immediate result.
?This is a very narrow legal argument and the judge may agree or disagree,” he said.
In the complaint, Mihos said the board failed to hold a public hearing to determine a need for the rollback of the bar?s hours, leaving the punishment unjust.
?The only notice given was just a list of the board dates,” he said. “There wasn?t a posting of the agenda or the hearing relative to my client.”
Li also filed an appeal with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) for a 21-day suspension of his liquor license also imposed by the Licensing Board on Aug. 26.
Aside from Li?s upcoming court date, Licensing Board chairman Richard Coppinger said Li would have to make another appearance at a board meeting to discuss a Sept. 3 violation for serving alcohol after midnight.
According to Lynn Police, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) discovered four Guatemalan males inside the bar around 12:20 a.m. that had reportedly been served alcohol.
A hearing date for the violation has not been scheduled yet.
Coppinger said Li has previously served three, seven-day suspensions, and one three-day suspension for various violations since 2007.