(CelebrityAccess News Service) – New York University and The Bottom Line returned to court after the club got a one month reprieve of a pending eviction for back rent of $185,000 due the landlord NYU.
"On Thursday, October 23, 2003, The Bottom Line was back in court after a four-week stay in the ongoing eviction proceedings brought on by New York University," club owners Allan Pepper and Stanley Snadoswky posted on their www.savethebottomline.com website. "Both sides presented their cases before the Honorable Donna Recant, and rather than entering a decision immediately, she adjourned the case for further deliberation. By law, the court has up to 30 days to enter a decision, which means The Bottom Line has been granted another stay, but we do not know for how long."
"What does this mean? The Bottom Line has a bit more time to come up with enough money to meet the demands of a new 10-year lease with N.Y.U., a very sizable sum. While two more people have come through with significant sums of money to help the cause, it is only one-third of the amount we believe will be necessary to make our case incontrovertible to the Powers That Be at N.Y.U. More money is needed, and at this point gifts both large and small are necessary to save The Bottom Line. Many fans of the club have asked if they could send money (even just small amounts), and we are working with our lawyer on the proper procedures to accept gifts, so please keep checking the website for more information on that, they continued."
"Furthermore, N.Y.U. needs to continue to be reminded of the importance and significance of keeping The Bottom Line alive. We know there is a better way for this to be resolved, where both N.Y.U. and The Bottom Line can continue to live together as they have for the last thirty years."
The New York Post reported that Bruce Springsteen and Viacom's head Mel Karmazin have offered "several hundred thousand dollars" to help keep the club open. "They want to save the Bottom Line," the owner's lawyer Mark Alonso told the paper. He noted that he did not know if the offer was in the form of a loan, a gift or equity in the club.
"Over the last 20 years, the Bottom Line has made itself a central part of New York City culture," says Bruce Springsteen on a post at the club's website. "When I think of the most memorable nights in my own career, few match the week of shows we did there in 1975. As a musician, as a citizen, and as one who loves New York City, I truly hope that a solution can be found that allows the Bottom Line and Allan and Stanley to continue their important, valuable work for many years to come.” –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
