Co-owner dispute at Spider House in Austin, Texas gets serious | The Law Offices of Gregory D. Jordan

Co-owner dispute at Spider House in Austin, Texas gets serious

The Spider House Cafe and Ballroom has been a famous Austin college hang-out since it opened its doors in 1995. Most customers, however, probably do not know of the legal battle between the two co-owners of the business, John Dorgan and Conrad Bejarano. In October of 2018, Dorgan filed a lawsuit against Bejarano and an employee of Spider House, Jeremy Rogers. The lawsuit accuses both men of libel and slander against Dorgan and Spider House. The lawsuit has brought to light many instances of alleged impropriety in the business and on the premises.

The lawsuit stems from a social media post by Rogers and his wife asserting that Dorgan sexually assaulted his wife in 2014. A day after the post, Bejarano stated that he was banning Dorgan from the property, of which he is still a co-owner. In the lawsuit, Dorgan is seeking monetary damages as well as a declaratory judgment that Bejarano has no legal authority to ban Dorgan or constrain his ownership. There is no record of Bejarano filing any kind of legal document restricting Dorgan from the property.

Motion to Dismiss
On December 21, 2018, Bejarano filed a motion to dismiss Dorgan’s lawsuit, arguing that the lawsuit is inhibiting Bejarano’s free speech. The motion relies on the Texas Citizens Participation Act, which specifically protects free speech made in connection with a “matter of public concern.” Bejarano also filed an answer to the lawsuit denying the substantive claims.

Attorney Gregory D. Jordan is a business litigation and corporate law attorney with offices in Austin who has handled matters under the Texas Citizens Participation Act. To learn more, visit https://www.theaustintriallawyer.com/

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