A gag order issued by presiding federal Judge Timothy Batten is currently in place. The order, entered Nov. 10, required the parties to meet Nov. 22 for mediation before Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman.
“Until the mediation is complete, the parties and counsel are ordered not to discuss the case with the media, other than to acknowledge that mediation has been scheduled,” it said.
Dan Grossman, attorney for the Atlanta Eagle, could not be reached for comment today. Reese McCranie, spokesperson for Mayor Kasim Reed, did not return a call for comment.
Patrons and staff of the Atlanta Eagle are suing the city in federal court after the raid, and have recently asserted that the city is not providing the information they have requested in the lawsuit’s discovery phase.
The Atlanta Police Department’s Red Dog unit has been accused of illegally detaining the staff and patrons, searching them without warrants and using anti-gay slurs during the raid. The plaintiffs are represented by Grossman and attorneys with Lambda Legal and the Southern Center for Human Rights.