Bottled Blonde sues city, Rahm

A River North restaurant facing the loss of its liquor license and the shutting of its doors is making a last- ditch effort to survive its months- long fight against the city.

In an eight- page lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cook County court, Bottled Blonde argued its case for staying open, saying its legal planning was inconvenienced when its attorney was imprisoned during disciplinary hearings.

City officials started the disciplinary process in June 2017 after deeming the restaurant failed to adhere to a revised plan of operation, court documents show.

Among the city’s 25 complaints were the restaurant operating primarily as a bar while only holding an incidental liquor license, which allowed the restaurant to serve alcohol as part of its primary restaurant business. The city’s other allegations included the restaurant’s failure to clean up litter and vomit on the sidewalk and street and inability to control noise in the area.

The restaurant’s lawsuit claims the city didn’t properly sign the revised plan of operation after Mayor Rahm Emanuel left the office of the Liquor Control Commissioner vacant. Instead, it says the Department of Business Affairs signed the plan, which the lawsuit claims makes the plan void.

The suit also says the city’s witnesses to the allegations were speculating, and that the noise, litter and vomit could have come from any other restaurants or bars.

Also during the disciplinary process, the restaurant’s lawyer was incarcerated, and the committee handling the proceedings declined to delay hearings until a new lawyer was caught up on the case, the lawsuit says.

Among the 10 defendants in the suit are the city of Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the city’s Local Liquor Control Commission, the Business Affairs and Consumer Protection office and current and former city officials.