Tinhorn Flats, the Burbank bar that made national headlines earlier this year for defying COVID restrictions despite continued crackdowns by authorities, has been evicted by the property owner, the city of Burbank confirmed.Lucas Lepejian and his father, Baret Lepejian, co-own the business and have been the faces of multiple ongoing controversies at the bar including revoked operating permits, health code violations, a temporary restraining order and ongoing civil lawsuit.
Baret’s ex-wife and Lucas’ mother, Isabelle Lepejian, owns the property at 2623 Magnolia Blvd. where the bar operates and took possession of the building on June 15. It was turned over by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department as the last step in the eviction process she initiated against Tinhorn Flats in May.The city of Burbank and Tinhorn Flats had been locked in an escalating feud for months and the eviction is a separate legal action from the recent temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction issued by the L.A. County Superior Court, a city statement confirmed.The establishment opened its outdoor dining late last year despite orders from local governments banning outdoor dining, becoming a rallying point for local anti-lockdown and anti-mask activists. Over the course of several months, the city revoked the restaurant’s operating and health permits, and when the restaurant continued operating, the city shut off its electricity and later padlocked its doors. But the restaurant used borrowed generators and Lucas Lepejian repeatedly removed locks, sandbags and barriers after they were put on the restaurant and reopened for service until fencing was installed.Lucas himself has been arrested three times — twice for violating the court order preventing operations and once for removing sandbags in front of the business that had been placed there by the city.
Community supporters, organized by Lucas, have staged near-weekly protests against the city’s actions since March. The restaurant’s social media accounts have garnered followers from across the country and include a fundraiser for legal fees that has raised nearly $100,000.
In May, Lucas began operating a food truck outside the Magnolia Boulevard location, serving food and drinks in continued defiance of the ongoing legal battles. It is unclear what will become of the Tinhorn Flats location or if Lucas will continue food truck service.
For Tinhorn Flats, Is End An Eviction?
