King of Diamonds may soon have to bare it all in court.
The infamous strip club is being sued by Miami-Dade County for allegedly building without permits and operating without a valid certificate of use. And the county wants to shut the club down until it remedies the counts.
The lawsuit, filed against King of Diamonds and its landlord KODRENYC LLC, fell into the Miami-Dade County Circuit Court’s lap on May 26. The suit alleges that in August 2014, signs had been erected on the property without building permits, and that by October 2015, remodeling and construction had occurred without the required building permits.
It also claims that on Jan. 19 of this year, a Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources building inspector observed the adult entertainment club operating without a valid certificate of use, which continued when an inspector paid the property another visit on March 2.
County staff issued warning notices to the building’s owner in January and March, according to the suit.
Property records show KODRENYC, managed by New York developer Elliott “Eli” Kunstlinger and financial services adviser Akiva “Ak” Feinsod, paid $6 million for the 60,600-square-foot nightclub at 17800 Northeast 5th Avenue in July 2014.
Following an inspection in March, the county is also alleging that King of Diamonds placed articles, “including rocks and mounds of dirt, on the public right-of-way,” without permits. According to the suit, “defendants have still not obtained the building permits necessary to legalize the unauthorized construction and remodeling of the Property.”
The county seeks to shut the night club down until it obtains all necessary permits, removes articles from the public right-of-way, and brings the property up to code. It’s also looking for $5,000 per day per violation.
Assistant Miami-Dade County attorney David Sherman told The Real Deal he is unable to comment on pending litigation. Reached via phone on Friday, a strip club employee said the company was not interested in speaking to TRD.
The King of Diamonds is known as a hang-out for celebrities and regularly has been featured in songs by hip-hop artists including Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and DJ Khaled. The nightclub features lascivious acrobatics and risque boxing matches.
It’s not the first time KOD has been sued. In 2014, strippers filed a proposed collective action claiming they were owed wages and overtime.