Case docket
The Escape Room LLC v. Small Business Administration — S.D. Ind., Indianapolis, No. 1:22-cv-00122-JMS-DLP
The Escape Room LLC v. Small Business Administration — 2 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 16, 2022.
See also: The Escape Room North LLC v. Small Business Administration — the same docket under another case page, 3 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 | 2 public filings |
| Filed | 2022-01-14 – 2022-09-16 |
| Document types | complaint (1) |
Case summary
The Escape Room LLC, a small business in Indianapolis, 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-00122-JMS-DLP, against the Small Business Administration and Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. Brought under the Administrative Procedure Act and the Declaratory Judgment Act, it pleads three counts over the denial of a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application and appeal. The defendants' brief of September 16, 2022 states that the SBA rescinded the challenged November 13, 2021 decision on September 6, 2022 and issued a new final decision on September 9, 2022 again finding the plaintiff ineligible, and argues the complaint is moot. No ruling is on this page.
Case at a glance
| Parties | Plaintiff: The Escape Room LLC, Indianapolis, 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, Cause No. 1:22-cv-00122-JMS-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 |
| Claims | Count I, arbitrary and capricious agency action, on the ground that the SBA gave no reason for denying the application or the appeal and approved the applications of other escape rooms and similar venues; Count II, agency action contrary to law, on the ground that the plaintiff meets the Act's definition of live venue operator; Count III, agency decision unsupported by substantial evidence. 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 | Undecided on this page. The defendants moved to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), arguing that because the SBA rescinded the challenged decision on September 6, 2022 and issued a new final decision on September 9, 2022, the complaint is moot and the court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction. No order on that 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, a small business in Indianapolis that 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 for either denial. 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 government argue?
That the complaint is moot. The brief states that Escape Room applied for an SVOG on August 21, 2021, that the SBA denied the request and then denied the administrative appeal on November 13, 2021, that the suit was filed on January 14, 2022, that the SBA rescinded the November 13, 2021 final agency action on September 6, 2022 in order to review the administrative record and correct the alleged deficiencies, and that on September 9, 2022 it issued a new final decision of approximately five pages concluding that Escape Room is not eligible.
What relief is sought?
A declaration that the denial is unlawful and an order setting it aside, and preliminary and permanent orders that the defendants consider the application consistent with applicable law and the evidence before the SBA and award SVOG funds in the amount Congress intended.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
2 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.