New Bern, North Carolina- Pure Bliss owner Greg Sakas is having depositions taken next week in his lawsuit against the city of New Bern, North Carolina.
Sakas’ store was raided by the police dept.in January 2007 and then a second time later in the year. The raids were not obscenity related but involved “preponderance”- the ratio of mainstream-to-porn product a store is allowed to have and sell.
“The depositions will be with the police chief, the assistant police chief and the two lead detectives from those raids,” says Sakas.
“Then we’ll go from there. I’ve already told them I will not settle for the amount they offered. But even now Sakas is having second thoughts about the dates scheduled for the depositions.
“The Sweet 16 is on that Thursday and North Carolina basketball takes precedence over this crap here. They can wait on me for a change. But my attorney said we needed to get this done. Although I made it perfectly clear I could care less about being in there with them. I’d rather see basketball. I’m a big Tar Heel fan.”
Regarding his Wilmington, North Carolina store which was also raided, Sakas said it will be closed by March 31.
“They told me we can’t have a going out of business sale- they’re forcing us out of town,” says Sakas.
“It’s unreal. But I have made it perfectly clear that if we’re the only store they’re doing this to and are leaving the rest alone, then I’m going to have a class action lawsuit.”
“I will not let them kick me out and let the rest of those adult stores just stay,” swears Sakas.
“But we’ll see what they’re going to do with the rest of those stores including Adam & Eve which was cited and got away with no further penalties.”
In further developments, Sakas had been told he also had to put a sign in the Wilmington store window to say that he was in violation of a zoning ordinance in lieu of further penalties. To date, Sakas has been fined $18,000 in zoning penalties but the city is willing to waive those.
