A year and a half after closing its doors, the debates and lawsuits surrounding Oxford’s infamous Zim’s Diner and Irish Tavern have finally come to an end.
On June 13, Oxford Township officials received word that a lawsuit filed almost a year ago by Family Restaurants of America, Inc., the corporation under which Susan Zimmer owned and operated the well-known bar, has been dropped by the plaintiff. The Order of Dismissal was filed by the Oakland Count Circuit Court’s clerk on June 9, 2003.
The lawsuit, filed in August 2002, named Oxford Township, the Board of Trustees, several elected officials listed by name, and the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) as defendants. There were five counts listed: the MLCC was accused of breach of contract; Oxford Township was accused of unlawful taking of a liquor license; the Board of Trustees was accused of violating the open meetings act; the Trustees were also accused of civil conspiracy; and again with tortious interference with economic relations.
The entire lawsuit stems from an earlier event addressed by the township board and MLCC.
On the nights of Nov. 29 and Dec. 7, undercover Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputies took surveillance video footage and testimony that indicated alleged illegal activities taking place in Zim’s. The evidence alleged that Zim’s was featuring scantily-clad to partially-nude dancing girls performing simulated explicit sexual activities with each other; Zim’s failed to provide a dressing facility for the dancers; Zim’s allowed the use, possession or sale of a controlled substance on the premises; and that Zim’s either sold or furnished alcohol to two men under the age of 21.
On Jan. 30, 2002, the township board reviewed all of the evidence and held a public hearing. On Feb. 13, the trustees passed two resolutions: one requesting the MLCC to revoke the bar’s license and one requesting the license not be renewed. Zim’s offered a plea agreement with the township, but the offer was rejected. The bar officially closed it’s doors on Jan. 27, and the owners filed suit that following August.
Township attorney Gary Rentrop was pleased with the news, but not surprised. He was not aware of Zimmer’s reasons for dropping the suit.
‘I would have given the lawsuit a 1 percent chance of success, so I wasn’t shocked with their decision,? he stated.
‘I assumed at some point it would be dropped or just not worth much. We’ll just say it doesn’t surprise me they dropped it.?
The dismissal officially closed the case. Oxford Township and all individually named township officials were dismissed with prejudice and without cost or attorney fees.