Manitoba's Begins Fundraising to Save the Legendary Dive from Mysterious Lawsuit

After issuing and then retracting a call for help last week, legendary East Village dive Manitoba's has now launched a campaign in earnest to save it from closure. Owners Dick Manitoba and Zoe Hansen are trying to raise $25,000 on Indiegogo, to help them settle some sort of unspecified claim against the bar. As the campaign explains it: "Due to a small wrinkle in the interplay between State and Federal law, Manitoba's was recently forced to reluctantly settle a case with a private individual for a cumbersome amount that threatens the future of the establishment." Last week they emphasized that this was not a fine for some sort of noise complaint, although their campaign does (perhaps as a side note) complain that East Village bars are plagued by "tenants in expensive apartments levying noise complaints at 8 p.m."

In any case, the bar has until February 18 to raise that 25k, after which "We either pay, or shut down." Manitoba and Hansen promise that they will also hold auctions and concerts to help raise the money.

Update: The suit Manitoba's must settle is one filed by Luigi Girotto, who is wheelchair-bound, and claims the bar denied him access because it doesn't have an entrance ramp, or a portion of the bar low enough to meet ADA standards. The case was settled out of court last month.