Hookah Bar Owner Sues French State

Source from:  tr.itsmyiq.com Jan 4, 2008 01/07/2008

The owner of a hookah bar in eastern France is suing the state for damages, alleging the country's new smoking ban has put it out of business, according to a Middle East Online report quoting the bar owner's lawyer. The Sphinx bar, which opened three years ago in Metz, closed down on January 1 when a nation-wide ban on smoking was extended to include cafés, restaurants and nightclubs. The bar owner, Bayoumi El Sayad, is seeking €60,000 in damages under a French law allowing compensation for individuals who suffer a prejudice as a result of policies designed for the public interest. "My client, whose entire establishment was a smoking room, was forced to close down to respect a decree taken in the name of public health," lawyer, Xavier Iochum, was quoted as saying. Tobacco sales made up the core income of the Sphinx, into which El Sayad is said to have sunk his life savings. There are an estimated 800 hookah bars in France. Enditem