Colonial Tavern, Inc. v. Boston Licensing Board

The plaintiffs, two corporations holding alcoholic beverages licenses from the Boston Licensing Board (board), claim that they sustained $1.5 million damages as a result of a vote of the board ordering a rollback of the plaintiff-licensees’ closing times as a condition of retaining their licenses. The plaintiff corporations, in the course of voluntary bankruptcy proceedings, filed complaints pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (1976), claiming that the vote of the board violated their civil rights. ■

The defendant police commissioner filed a motion requesting the bankruptcy judge to certify a…