Coyote Jack's landlords seek to reclaim property, owners push legal hearings into 2020

Staff photo by Tim Barber/ Coyote Jack's is seen in this street level view, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019.
Staff photo by Tim Barber/ Coyote Jack's is seen in this street level view, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019.

The owners of Coyote Jack's Saloon, a downtown Chattanooga bar under scrutiny for its high crime rate, have pushed two legal hearings scheduled for this week into the spring, dragging out the city and state's efforts to permanently close the bar after the 10th shooting at its address since 2016.

After 19-year-old Brandon Rogers was shot and killed on the patio of the bar in early October, the third fatal shooting at the club since 2016, the city, state and property owners have moved to permanently close Coyote Jack's. A hearing on the city's nuisance abatement complaint, an order designed to prevent the business from reopening within the city, has been moved to May at the request of Coyote Jack's co-owner Ronald "Ronnie" Berke, uncle of Mayor Andy Berke.

According to Assistant City Attorney Keith Reisman, the postponement of the hearing has little effect on the case because the club is required to stay closed until at least after the hearing and must maintain evidence throughout the abatement proceedings.

"Ronnie Berke asked for the case to be continued so he has time for some discovery," Reisman said. "Nothing really changes because they are still closed through at least the new hearing it's likely that next thing is a decision on the property owners' attempt to reclaim the property which will likely be decided in January."

Following the shooting, the club's beer permit was revoked by the city's beer board, its liquor license was suspended by the state and it was discovered that the business license for Bankable Holdings LLC, the company that legally controls Coyote Jack's, had been revoked months before the shooting.

A hearing scheduled for Friday to permanently revoke the liquor license also has been postponed until some time in February, according to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beer Commission.

While the commission would not comment on why the hearing was postponed, minutes of the panel's last meeting detail the commission's concern with the pattern of violence at Coyote Jack's.

"[The commission] further investigated the establishment after this violent incident. With the help of the Chattanooga Police Department, TABC gathered statistics over the past few years at Coyote Jack's, including other violent incidents, one of which involved another fatal shooting that occurred at the establishment three years ago," the notes from the October meeting read. "TABC also discovered that their security precautions are not maintaining adequate security at the location along with the LLC owning the organization's registration with the Secretary of the State had expired a few months ago. The landlord at the establishment terminated the lease with the business. As a result of all these findings by TABC, Director Thomas signed an order suspending their license with a hearing with the establishment set for this December."

According to the Hamilton County Chancery Court, a hearing is scheduled for next week in which Cow Art LLC is seeking a summary judgment in their attempt to reclaim the property from Bankable Holdings.

Neither Ronnie Berke, nor Russell King, counsel representing the club, were available for comment Monday.

Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at 423-757-6416 or staylor@timesfreepress.com. Follow her on Twitter at @_sarahgtaylor.

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