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Suit over Gwinnett’s sex shop restrictions tossed; battle not over

Gwinnett County wants to shutter Tokyo Valentino, which sells sex toys at a store on Pleasant Hill Road near Duluth. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

Gwinnett County wants to shutter Tokyo Valentino, which sells sex toys at a store on Pleasant Hill Road near Duluth. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM
By
March 28, 2017

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Gwinnett County’s adult entertainment ordinance.

Tokyo Valentino filed its lawsuit in United States District Court in 2015, arguing that a county ordinance requiring licenses for adult entertainment shops was too vague and violated the store's rights to free speech and due process. Subsequent filings in the case challenged a new ordinance created by the county after the original lawsuit was launched. That ordinance added more restrictions, including one limiting where such adult shops could be located.

But the lengthy legal battle initiated by Tokyo Valentino, an adult novelty shop near Gwinnett Place Mall, is complicated.

And, even with Monday’s federal court ruling, it’s not over.

Read the full story at myAJC.com.  

MORE: Sandy Springs scraps ban on sex toy sales

MORE: Why are there no strip clubs in Gwinnett County?

About the Author

Before taking over the AJC's Sports Daily newsletter, Tyler Estep spent two years writing the A.M. ATL newsletter. A Gwinnett County native and University of Georgia graduate, he has been with the AJC since 2015 and previously worked as a reporter on the breaking news, hyperlocal and local government teams.

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