According to a story on the Indiana Business Jiurnal website, the attempt by the Murat Shrine Temple Association in Indianapolis to block promoter LiveNation from renaming the Murat Theatre has failed.Marion County Superior Court Judge John Hanley has dismissed a naming-rights lawsuit brought by The Murat Temple Association against California-based event promoter Live Nation and Evansville-based Old National Bank.
The Murat Temple Association is a Shriners affiliate that owns the Murat Centre, which on March 16 was renamed the “Old National Centre” in a three-year naming-rights deal between the bank and Live Nation. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Murat Temple Association, which hired Live Nation to manage the facility, sought to block the name change in a lawsuit filed March 26. Live Nation filed a legal request to dismiss the suit in mid-April.
The association's suit alleged that Live Nation's lease does not include rights to rename the building, and that the name change “caused Shriners to be held in lesser light by the general public, who erroneously believe Shriners were responsible for the name change, and from whom money is raised to support ... Shriners Hospital for Children.”
Judge Hanley disagreed.
I'm no attorney. I'm not even a non-attorney spokesman. I'm just a lowly member of Murat Shrine. But I suspect that, if the lease with LiveNation granted them the right to erect new signage, while remaining silent on LiveNation's right to rename the part of the building they now control, then Murat has no case. If it wasn't prohibited in the agreement, it's allowed. Hence, case dismissed. Live and learn, brethren.
Earlier entries about this story:
• Indianapolis Murat Theatre to become Old National Center. Yuck.
• Indianapolis' Murat Shriners May Halt Theater Name Change
• Sides Square Off In Murat Shrine Theatre Name Battle
• Indianapolis Shriners sue Live Nation, Old National over Murat renaming
