Case docket
The Escape Room North LLC v. Small Business Administration — S.D. Ind., Indianapolis, No. 1:22-cv-00123-TWP-DLP
The Escape Room North LLC v. Small Business Administration — 3 court filings in the archive from U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, filed between January 14, 2022 and September 21, 2022. Among them: 1 complaint and 1 stipulation.
See also: The Escape Room LLC v. Small Business Administration — the same docket under another case page, 2 public filings; 1 of the documents appear on both pages.
Case facts
| Court | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division |
|---|---|
| Filings | 3 public filings |
| Filed | 2022-01-14 – 2022-09-21 |
| Document types | complaint (1), stipulation (1) |
Case summary
The Escape Room North LLC, a small business in Fishers, Indiana, filed this complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief on January 14, 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, No. 1:22-cv-00123-TWP-DLP, against the Small Business Administration and Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. It brought the action under the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 706, and the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202, alleging that the SBA denied its Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application and its appeal without giving a reason for either denial and treated it disparately from similarly situated businesses. The parties stipulated to dismissal of the complaint without prejudice under Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(ii) on September 21, 2022, each bearing its own fees, costs and expenses.
Case at a glance
| Parties | Plaintiff: The Escape Room North LLC, Fishers, Indiana. Defendants: Small Business Administration and Isabella Casillas Guzman, Administrator, Small Business Administration |
|---|---|
| Court and docket | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, Civil Action No. 1:22-CV-00123 (1:22-cv-00123-TWP-DLP) |
| Program | Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program, established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 9009a, and administered by the SBA; an eligible entity may receive an award equal to 45 percent of its 2019 gross earned revenue |
| Claims | Count I, arbitrary and capricious agency action, on the grounds that the SBA gave no reason for denying the application or the appeal and treated the plaintiff disparately from similarly situated businesses; Count II, agency action contrary to law, on the ground that the plaintiff meets the Act's definition of live venue operator and satisfies the general eligibility criteria; Count III, agency decision unsupported by substantial evidence. Brought under 5 U.S.C. §§ 702, 704 and 706(2)(A) and (E). The prayer asks the court to declare unlawful and set aside the denial and to order the defendants to reconsider the application and to award SVOG funds |
| Disposition or status | Dismissed by joint stipulation. On September 21, 2022 the parties stipulated under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii) that the complaint is dismissed without prejudice and that each party bears its own fees, costs and expenses. No ruling on the summary-judgment motion is on this page |
| Status checked | 2026-09-23 · against DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22; court docket not yet read |
What does the complaint allege?
That Escape Room North produces and manages live performances and theatrical productions by actors and performers, demonstrated its eligibility for an SVOG award in its application and in its appeal, and that the SBA denied both without giving a reason. It also alleges that the SBA approved the SVOG applications of other escape rooms and similar venues that hire performers and staff for the same functions and host similar events.
What did the summary-judgment brief argue?
That the SBA's final decision denying the award does not comply with the Administrative Procedure Act because the agency disregarded the requirement that an agency treat like cases alike, having granted the SVOG applications of five other escape rooms that employ the same form of live entertainment, and because the denial is not supported by substantial evidence given the eligibility the plaintiff demonstrated.
How did the case end?
By joint stipulation of dismissal filed September 21, 2022 under Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(ii), dismissing the complaint without prejudice with each party bearing its own fees, costs and expenses. The page holds no order on the merits and no record of any SVOG award.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
3 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.