Nashville party bus enclosure requirement paused amid lawsuit
Metro is temporarily barred from enforcing new enclosure and insurance regulations for entertainment vehicles, a Davidson County chancellor ruled Friday.
Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal ruled the city can continue to limit party vehicles' hours of operation but granted a temporary injunction on a rule requiring party vehicles that allow alcohol on board to be enclosed. Enclosure enforcement was slated to begin on Oct. 3.
Moskal also granted an injunction for a rule requiring vehicles that allow alcohol to carry a $1 million liquor liability insurance policy. The Metro commission responsible for shaping the new entertainment vehicle regulations indefinitely deferred enforcement for that requirement last week after businesses reported finding only one insurance provider willing to offer such a policy.
Moskal's rulings are part of an ongoing lawsuit between Metro and Honky Tonk Party Express, the largest entertainment vehicle company in Nashville.
The company contended during a Sept. 20 hearing that supply chain issues make it nearly impossible to fully enclose its 16 operational vehicles and install air conditioning units and generators by the Oct. 3 deadline.
Friday's order prevents Metro from enforcing the enclosure and insurance requirements pending further decisions in the case. Metro legal counsel said earlier this month that any enforcement injunctions granted in Honky Tonk Party Express's case would likely stall enforcement of those rules for other entertainment companies as well.
Metro officials have said enclosure requirements are necessary to promote passenger safety and dampen noise. Honky Tonk Party Express argued that existing requirements for minimum railing height, staff monitors who ride with passengers, onboard decibel meters and noise ordinances adequately address those same concerns.
Metro Legal Director Wallace Dietz said Friday Metro intends to "take a close look at the court's concerns and evaluate options available to the (Transportation Licensing Commission)." Metro will continue to enforce the regulations that remain in effect.
"The Chancellor ruled that Metro has a strong public interest in protecting the safety of passengers and the public at large, and in controlling noise pollution and unsafe conditions," Dietz said in a statement to The Tennessean. "We appreciate that the court ruled in our favor on the new regulation that limits hours of operations."
The Honky Tonk Party Express lawsuit is one of four suits filed against Metro since the city slashed the entertainment vehicle industry nearly in half in June, approving 89 total permits of the 159 requested in Nashville's first-ever entertainment vehicle permitting process.
Counsel for Honky Tonk Party Express could not be immediately reached for comment.
Honky Tonk Party Express v. Metro Temporary Injunction Order by USA TODAY Network on Scribd
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville's party bus enclosure requirement paused amid lawsuit
