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Rodeo Dallas debate now turns to $2.25M bond
After months of sitting in the dark in one of Deep Ellum's busiest corridors, Rodeo Dallas is no longer under a court order forcing it to stay closed.
DEEP ELLUM, Texas - Rodeo Dallas's owner is riled up, and the battle now shifts to more than two million dollars and who has the right to it.
After months of sitting in the dark in one of Deep Ellum's busiest corridors, Rodeo Dallas is no longer under a court order forcing it to stay closed.
Rodeo Dallas lawsuit dropped
What's new:
Asana Partners originally argued that Rodeo Dallas attracted crime to the area.
Serious Pizza, a neighboring business, says things have felt different since Rodeo Dallas has closed, saying they used to see fights every weekend, and now they see one to two a month.
What they're saying:
"As far as the crime now, it's kind of more it's not as prevalent, I guess is the word to use, maybe. But for me, I have noticed it's kind of slowed down a bit, at least crime wise," said Serious Pizza owner David Chavez.
Rodeo Dallas’ owner JD Ybanez strongly disagrees, saying crime in Deep Ellum was already there.
"Like, do I want violence and crime? Absolutely not. That is not conducive to business. So, it doesn't make sense," Ybanez said.
Dallas County judge still undecided on fate of popular Deep Ellum nightclub
The court was told a decision on whether Rodeo Dallas would be allowed to reopen would come sometime Friday, after a seven-hour hearing the day before.
Court records show real estate firm Asana Partners has dropped the lawsuit against the bar. Asana says Rodeo Dallas is being forced out of their space anyway because of a separate lawsuit with its landlord, and says the lawsuit no longer serves any purpose.
Ybanez says the damage has already been done.
"They killed it. I mean, it's destroyed the business," Ybanez said.
So now the fight moves to money.
$2.25 million up for grabs
To shut Rodeo Dallas down, Asana Partners had to put up a $2.25 million cash bond with the court which would protect Rodeo Dallas if the shutdown turned out to be wrongful.
Rodeo Dallas believes that money rightfully belongs to them.
"At this point, it's just a matter of trying to recoup the bond money that they had to put up in order to shut us down," Ybanez said.
Asana Partners wants the money back, but Ybanez says his business deserves it for the revenue they’ve lost.
"If you think about it, who has $2.25 million to shut down a competitor? You know, it's disgusting to me, what they did and what they got away with, because they're a billion dollar firm," Ybanez said.
According to Ybanez, Rodeo Dallas isn't going anywhere.
"I'm going to open a lot more places in Deep Ellum, and I'm never leaving. And you know, they're the ones that need to go back to their state and stop trying to gentrify my community," he said.
Serious Pizza says Rodeo Dallas brought them a lot of business, and they’re on board with having them back — but with conditions.
"If they kind of keep it a little more professional, you know, more just kind of, they're watching out, making sure nobody's causing problems," Chavez said.
What's next:
It will be up to a judge to decide who can claim the money.
The Source: Information in this article comes from FOX 4 interviews with Deep Ellum business owners.