LN Seeks Murat Dismissal

Live Nation asked an Indianapolis court to toss a lawsuit filed against it by the Murat Temple Association – the local Shriners – over the rebranding of the Murat Centre to the Old National Centre.

Live Nation holds a 100-year lease on the venue, which restricts renaming the Murat Theatre or Egyptian Room inside the historic building. The Shriners contend that Live Nation needed its permission to rename the building itself.

Attorney Shawna Eikenberry, representing Live Nation, filed an April 14 brief in Marion Superior Court saying the Murat lease grants “rights that are broad in scope,” according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. She said the organization’s suit “cites no provisions in the lease that prohibit Live Nation from changing signs on its leased premise, or otherwise change the name of the buildings Live Nation has leased. That is because the lease contains no such provisions.”

The lease reportedly covers the common areas of the complex, including the Murat Theatre and Egyptian Room, as well as “all appurtances, rights, privileges and interest” belonging to or related to the leased areas.

The only naming restriction, according to the Business Journal, refers to the Murat Theatre. Live Nation did not change that name.
Eikenberry said the only time the lease requires Live Nation to seek permission to put up signage or make other changes to the building is if there’s a change to the “external appearance and structural integrity” of the facility.

“Changes to both appearance and structural integrity are required in order for Live Nation to need consent,” Eikenberry reportedly wrote in her brief. “MTA has pleaded itself out of court, and its complaint should be dismissed.”