Eagles Nest will reopen with restricted hours, have liquor license restored following September incident

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Chesapeake bar will have its liquor license restored and can reopen with restrictions after its liquor license was suspended by Virginia ABC, the bar's attorney tells News 3. The liquor license suspension followed an incident outside the bar last month.

Eagles Nest Rockin' Country Bar' closure drew widespread attention last week when Eagles Nest announced it was permanently closing its club side and temporarily shutting down the entire facility.

According to court documents filed Oct. 1, Great Bridge Sports Pub Inc., which operates as Eagles Nest, sued Virginia ABC and multiple state officials over a Sept. 22 order that suspended the business's liquor license.

The bar's attorney said they have reached a deal with the ABC, and the bar should be back open Wednesday. The bar must operate on restricted hours, closing at 1:00am on Friday nights and Saturday nights, and at 12:30am Sunday through Thursday.

The suspension stems from a Sept. 20 incident that, according to the court filing, began inside the establishment and continued into the shopping center parking lot. The lawsuit references an ABC order that states a patron was kicked in the face by an unknown person approximately 63 feet into the parking lot.

Watch: Eagles Nest owners sue Virginia ABC after liquor license suspension following September incident

Newly released information from Chesapeake Police provides additional details of the Sept. 20 incident. Police say officers responded to Eagles Nest around 1:29 a.m. for reports of a fight involving multiple people and encountered a large disturbance involving patrons and security personnel. According to police, officers used OC spray to help bring the situation under control. Three people were arrested and charged, including one man charged with simple assault after investigators reviewed surveillance video and witness accounts. Two people also alleged they were assaulted by members of the establishment's security staff. Police say the incident remains under investigation and confirmed they provided information to Virginia ABC as part of the agency's licensing investigation.

Eagles Nest argued Virginia ABC improperly used its emergency suspension authority because the injury allegedly occurred in a parking lot the business does not own or lease.

The Eagles Nest attorneys argued in the lawsuit that the lot is common property owned and managed by the shopping center landlord and therefore falls outside the circumstances covered by Virginia's summary suspension law.

The lawsuit also alleges Virginia ABC suspended the license without providing notice, access to evidence or an opportunity for the business to respond beforehand.

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