Case docket
Sokol World Entertainment, Inc. v. Small Business Administration — D.D.C., No. 21-cv-2385 (TSC)
Sokol World Entertainment, Inc. v. Small Business Administration — 4 court filings in the archive from UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT, filed between September 28, 2022 and March 20, 2025. Among them: 2 opinions and 1 complaint.
Case facts
| Court | UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT |
|---|---|
| Filings | 4 public filings |
| Filed | 2022-09-28 – 2025-03-20 |
| Document types | opinions (2), complaint (1) |
| Original PDFs | 4 of 4 |
Case summary
Sokol World Entertainment, Inc., owner and operator of Club Cobra, a live entertainment venue in Los Angeles, sued the Small Business Administration and Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman on September 9, 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 21-cv-2385 (TSC), under the Administrative Procedure Act and the Declaratory Judgment Act, after being denied a Shuttered Venue Operator Grant. On September 28, 2022 the court granted Sokol summary judgment, found the denial arbitrary and capricious and remanded to the SBA. The SBA again denied the application, Sokol filed a second amended complaint, and on March 20, 2025 the court denied Sokol's motion and granted the SBA's cross-motion for summary judgment, holding the decision was not arbitrary and capricious, was supported by substantial evidence and was not contrary to law.
Case at a glance
| Parties | Plaintiff: Sokol World Entertainment, Inc., owner and operator of Club Cobra, Los Angeles. Defendants: United States Small Business Administration and Isabella Casillas Guzman, its Administrator |
|---|---|
| Court and docket | U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Civil Action No. 21-cv-2385 (TSC) (1:21-cv-02385-TSC), Judge Tanya S. Chutkan |
| Program | Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program, created by sections 323(d)(1)(H) and 324 of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, Pub. L. 116-260, codified at 15 U.S.C. § 9009a, with $15 billion set aside |
| Claims | Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 701 et seq. and 706, and the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202. The second amended complaint pleads Count I, arbitrary and capricious agency action, and Count II, agency action contrary to law, alleging that Sokol meets the Act's definition of live venue operator and that the SBA's decision conflicts with the evidence of eligibility submitted |
| Disposition or status | Judgment for the SBA. Summary judgment was first granted to Sokol on September 28, 2022 and the matter remanded to the SBA for supplementation of the administrative record regarding Sokol's competitors; after the SBA denied the application again, the court on March 20, 2025 denied Sokol's motion for summary judgment and granted the SBA's cross-motion |
| Status checked | 2026-09-23 · against DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22; court docket not yet read |
What did the court decide in 2022?
It granted Sokol's motion for summary judgment, denied the SBA's cross-motion for summary judgment and motion to dismiss without prejudice, granted both parties' motions to consider extra-record evidence, denied Sokol's motion to strike, and remanded the case to the SBA for supplementation of the administrative record as necessary regarding Sokol's competitors and further proceedings consistent with the opinion.
What did the court decide in 2025?
It denied Sokol's motion for summary judgment and granted the SBA's cross-motion, finding that the SBA's decision was not arbitrary and capricious, was supported by substantial evidence and was not contrary to law, and that the SBA reasonably determined that sexually suggestive images and performances on Club Cobra's social media were evidence that Sokol was ineligible under the statute's exclusion of performances of a prurient sexual nature.
What amount was at stake?
The SBA's memorandum of July 15, 2024 in support of its cross-motion states that the plaintiff challenges the denial of its request for $486,761.85 in program funds as a live venue operator. The second amended complaint records that an eligible entity may receive an award equal to 45% of its 2019 gross earned revenue under 15 U.S.C. § 9009a(c).
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
4 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.