D.C. Wins Against Ad Company Over Code Violation for Digital Signs

The District of Columbia last week won a lawsuit against an outdoor advertising company accused of violating local codes on sign displays.

The company, Lumen Eight Media Group, also was linked to a conflict-of-interest scandal that forced the resignation of former D.C. Council member Jack Evans.

Lumen Eight paid Evans’ one-man consulting firm $50,000 and gave him 200,000 shares of its stock before it embarked on a multi-million dollar project to put up dozens of large, brightly-lit digital signs throughout Washington, D.C.

The D.C. attorney general sued the company in 2016 for allegedly failing to obtain required licenses and ignoring stop-work orders to halt more digital sign installations.

“These LED signs tower over and above pedestrians, causing substantial and significant risk to public safety,” the lawsuit says.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Florence Pan largely agreed with the D.C. attorney general. She also said Lumen Eight mischaracterized the nature of its work to avoid regulatory scrutiny.

Pan ordered that most of the signs be removed but allowed a few to remain that she described as compliant.

“Lumen Eight officials said the ruling represents a threat to all businesses that operate under regulatory control. They plan to appeal.

Federal grand juries have issued subpoenas seeking information about Evans’ relationship with the company. He has not been charged with a crime.

He is running for the Ward 2 council seat he gave up as he faced expulsion from the city council for ethics violations.

For more information, contact The Legal Forum (www.legal-forum.net) at email: [email protected] or phone: 202-479-7240.