Tennessee Supreme Court to hear Nashville music producer, hairstylist case against city
NASHVILLE, Tenn.--A Nashville music producer and a hairstylist will see their case against the City of Nashville go before the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Elijah "Lij" Shaw has been recording and producing music in Music City for acts that include Zac Brown Band, Mumford & Sons, Wilco, and Tori Amos.
Since 2005, he's done it from his home's detached garage he converted into a professional, soundproof studio dubbed "The Toy Box Studio." That all came to a halt in September 2015 when Lij received a cease-and-desist letter from the city.
According to court documents originally filed, Lij was also contacted via the phone by a Metro Codes officer who ordered Lij to "rein in" the studio's online presence by removing promotional videos, his address and recording rates.
The officer allegedly threatened that failure to comply would result in a possible warrant and being taken to court. Despite being well-liked by his neighbors and running a business uniquely common in Nashville, Lij stopped recording at his studio for fear of what could happen.
His case was picked up by The Beacon Center of Tennessee and the Institute for Justice (IJ), filing a suit against the city. The suit was joined by a Nashville hair stylist who received a similar cease-and-desist letter.
After 4 years in the court system, the Tennessee Supreme Court will hear Shaw and hairstylist Pat Raynor's appeal. The Institute for Justice notes the case is unique in that is was filed before a pandemic which caused a shift for many employees and business owners to work from home. "In the last two years, millions of Americans have adapted to working from home. But even before the pandemic, people like Lij Shaw and Pat Raynor started small businesses out of their home for a variety of reasons. Lij, who has lived in East Nashville for more than twenty years, has recorded nationally renowned, Grammy Award-winning performers," IJ Attorney Keith Diggs says. "Lij is also a single father, so he invested thousands of dollars to convert his detached garage into a professional recording studio so he could work from home while raising his daughter."
While Nashville leaders temporarily repealed the on-site client law during the pandemic, the repeal expires in 2023. “So many of us in Nashville need to work from home,” said Lij Shaw. “I can run my studio under the city’s temporary rules, but those expire soon. It’s time for the courts to settle this once and for all.” An oral argument in the court will be held later this year according to IJ.
FOX 17 News has reached out to the Mayor's Office for comment and will update this article if/when one is provided.
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