Pawnbroker Andrew Grayson filed a lawsuit against the Village of La Grange as a result of a failed bid to open a pawn shop downtown after the village banned such businesses, despite the fact Grayson had already been issued a business license.

Grayson, who filed the suit Oct. 31 in Cook County Circuit Court, is seeking more than $50,000 and legal costs from the village, according to Village Attorney Mark Burkland, who was present when Grayson filed the complaint.

Burkland said the amount sought was “a jurisdictional threshold” required to file the complaint in the Law Division of Cook County Circuit Court. He added the village has not had any contact with Grayson over the past several months when asked if the village knew the lawsuit was coming.

“A long time has past so we didn’t know what to expect,” Burkland said, adding, the village would have no comment on past discussions with Grayson since it is now in litigation.

Grayson said he had no comment and referred all questions to his attorney, Dan Rice.

Attorneys will next meet in a hearing scheduled for Feb. 24, 2010.

Grayson is also attempting to recover a a security deposit and rent from his landlord, Fifth Avenue Properties,  for the store front at 71 S. La Grange Road in which he planned to open his business.

Grayson is seeking $15,470 from the property management firm, according to Rice said. Grayson and John Brannen, general manager of Fifth Avenue Property, stated in a June 25 letter they could either proceed with the lease and "likely lawsuit," or terminate the lease if the village pays $125,000 to each party.

Rice said he has seen the letter to the village but had no part in its composition.

“I think that that figure came from Mr. Brannen and reflected the value of the lease to the company,” Rice said. “My client had no explanation for how the numbers were arrived at. Mr. Grayson is really seeking compensatory damages. He’s not going off into the future of what a lease would be to a landlord. He’s basing his damages on what he may have earned and hat has been his out of pocket expenses.”

Rice added he and Grayson thought an agreement had been reached with Brannen to return his security deposit and the rent paid. They decided to break the previous alliance wen that agreement fell through.

A public hearing was held June 29 to discuss village code on pawn shops operating downtown following a firestorm of opposition from the business community as well as residents to Garrison’s plan.

Village Manager Robert Pilipiszyn said then some of the permitted uses were outdated because the code had not been revised for almost 20 years.

Former La Grange Business Association president Michael LaPidus said then he has received hundreds of e-mails in opposition to a  downtown pawn shop, and such a business would be like taking a step backward in terms of the progress that has been made by the village in revitalizing its Central Business District.