Hookah-pipe bar sues French state over smoking ban

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2008

METZ, France (AFP) — A hookah-pipe bar owner in eastern France is suing the state for damages, claiming the country's new smoking ban has put it out of business, its lawyer said Thursday.

The "Sphinx", set up three years ago in the eastern city of Metz, closed down on January 1 when a nationwide ban on smoking came into effect in tens of thousands of cafes, restaurants and nightclubs.

It is demanding 60,000 euros (90,000 dollars) 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," said its lawyer, Xavier Iochum.

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