Theater suit dismissed
A senior judge in Washington County has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the sale of the historic Coyle Theater in Charleroi to another nonprofit organization that isn’t interested in operating a theater in the building.
Senior Judge John C. Reed dismissed the case Monday with prejudice, meaning the plaintiffs, Charleroi Area Historical Society and two of its board members, cannot refile the case, court records show.
The society, Nikki Sheppick and Kenneth Thompson in February petitioned the court for an injunction preventing the sale of the former burlesque house at 331 McKean Ave. from the Mid Mon Valley Cultural Trust to the Mon Valley Alliance. The injunction was denied, and the plaintiffs amended their complaint to seek the reversal of the sale.
Reed stated that while the plaintiffs’ attempt to preserve the theater dating to the 1890s was well-intentioned, they failed to assert sufficient evidence they had standing in the case.