The agreed judgment resolves the lawsuit without a trial or a court ruling on the attorney general’s allegations.
Paxton sued last August, alleging Paper Tiger violated Texas law after refusing to allow off-duty San Antonio Police Department officer Raul Tijerina to enter the club while carrying a weapon he was authorized to possess. The lawsuit alleged the officer and responding supervisors informed management of the law, but the venue refused to comply.
Empty Stomach never filed an answer to the lawsuit. Chad Carey, the partnership’s principal, didn’t respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.
Paxton’s lawsuit alleged Paper Tiger violated a Texas law that bars establishments open to the public from prohibiting peace officers from carrying weapons they are authorized to possess, regardless of whether they are on duty. Violations are punishable by a $1,000 civil penalty.
The attorney general’s lawsuit also sought a permanent injunction barring future violations, but the agreed judgment requires only the civil penalty. Paper Tiger is on the St. Mary’s Strip.
In early 2024, Paxton’s office filed a similar lawsuit against the Lucky Duck, a River North-area bar. Le Bajec Le LLC, which does business as Lucky Duck at 810 N. Alamo St., also agreed to pay a $1,000 civil penalty as part of an agreed final judgment entered last August. The bar’s owner disputed that it had ever denied a peace officer entry for carrying a weapon.
The attorney general ultimately sued five venues, including the State Fair of Texas, which adopted a no-gun policy after a 2023 shooting on the fairgrounds injured three people. A judge later dismissed the lawsuit against the fair. An appellate court and the Texas Supreme Court denied Paxton’s motion for emergency relief.