Sanctuary Night held in contempt of court for violating agreement with Columbus
Sanctuary Night, a Columbus nonprofit that serves women escaping sex trafficking and battling drug addiction, was held in contempt Thursday after it violated an agreement it made with the city to address its status as an alleged "nuisance" property.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein filed a nuisance lawsuit against Sanctuary Night, located at 1195 Sullivant Ave. in Franklinton, on April 30, alleging it attracted criminal activity, open drug use and prostitution.
On May 7, the city and the nonprofit came to a court-approved agreement where Sanctuary Night would prohibit drug and alcohol use on its premises, cut down on loitering, install Columbus Division of Police recommended security upgrades, ban camping and refrain from serving food to clients who identify as male, among other changes.
According to court filings, a city environmental specialist attempted to enter Sanctuary Night on May 15 to conduct an inspection required by the agreement but was not allowed inside until after the nonprofit's staff evacuated its clients.
Sanctuary Night's property manager told the inspector that entering would violate the HIPAA rights of clients currently in the building and asked him to sign a confidentiality agreement. The inspector refused to sign the agreement and conducted an exterior inspection while the nonprofit's employees tried to reach someone in upper management.
The inspector was eventually allowed in once all the clients, except for one using the shower, had left.
Stopping the inspector from entering while the nonprofit was occupied and operational prevented him from ensuring it complied with the city's May 7 agreement, according to court filings.
As a result, Judge Stephanie Mingo moved to hold Sanctuary Night in contempt on Thursday, according to Pete Shipley, the communications director for City Attorney Zach Klein's office.
Shipley said that the city will continue to monitor the nonprofit's compliance with the agreement and take appropriate action if it does not live up to the terms.
Mayor Andrew Ginther said the city was a proud partner and supporter of Sanctuary Night but that everybody who operates in the community needed to be a good neighbor.
"They're gonna be held accountable if they're not a good neighbor. But they provide critically important services," he said at a May 22 press conference.
The next hearing in the case is set for July 24, according to court records.
Sanctuary Night could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
Breaking and Trending News Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com and at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus nonprofit Sanctuary Night held in contempt
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