Dallas Sex Club Poses as Church to Avoid Paying Taxes
Glenn Hudson says that he is operating a religious group catering to the disadvantaged and youth - Dallas police say that Hudson is actually operating a sex club as a church in order to avoid taxes.
City attorneys in Dallas have now handed down a lawsuit against Hudson, which are trying to force Hudson to shut down his two "churches," called "The Playground" and "DarkSide," reports ABC News. The suit is civil in nature, and no criminal charges have been filed against Hudson.
What goes on at "The Playground" and "DarkSide"? Authorities say that when they investigated the two so-called religious institutions, they found that one was selling drugs and they saw evidence of a swinger's club in the other one.
Some of the evidence that police found were TV screens playing pornographic material at "The Playground," beds and complimentary condoms for patrons, and no evidence of any religious activity, ABC News reports.
Hudson, who is believed to be an internet-ordained minister, maintains that his group is religious. He also says that the city is trying to interfere with his constitutionally-protected right to freedom of religion, according to ABC News.
Freedom of religion is protected under the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. But, the government can regulate or control some aspects of religion if there is a showing by the government of a compelling state interest in regulating or prohibiting that activity.
This is why some practices, such as bigamy and drug use, are prohibited despite being a part of religious activity.
So, even if there was evidence of some sort of religious practice in Glenn Hudson's sex clubs (or "churches"), if the evidence of the promotion of sex, porn and drugs is real, it is possible that the city could still overcome a First Amendment claim.
Related Resources:
- Judge grants Dallas' request to temporarily close sex club operating as ministry (Dallas Morning News)
- Freedom of Religion (FindLaw)
- NY Court: Strip Club's Lap Dances Taxable (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
- Texas Supreme Court Debates State's Strip Club "Pole Tax" (FindLaw's Legally Weird)