DOWNTOWN : City Orders Cleanup at Adult Theater

The city attorney’s office has filed a lawsuit against an adult movie theater that has been the site of 31 lewd conduct arrests over the past 18 months.

The “red-light abatement” lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against the owner and operators of the Regent Theater at 448 S. Main St. Building owner Morton Wexler and theater operators Abu Tayyib and Kae Sun Cho are named as defendants.

The lawsuit was filed to force the owner and operators to clean up the theater and improve security or face closure. The district attorney’s office also has filed for a court injunction that would force theater officials to immediately add lights, repair and replace damaged theater seats, hire a security guard and generally keep the facility in “sanitary condition” to stay in operation pending trial.

The district attorney’s office says the owner and operators have refused to cooperate with police, who have repeatedly caught patrons engaging in lewd acts inside the theater.

“It’s like a cesspool,” said Deputy City Atty. Maria Perez Manning. “I actually took my shoes off after I left and wanted to throw them in the trash.”

But manager Cho said she and her colleagues have complied with authorities’ orders to improve conditions at the theater. “Everything they’ve been asking . . . we’ve been taking care of it pretty much,” Cho said. “We’ve been cleaning, repairing. And I’m here all the time.”