Screenshot from Pennhurst Asylum Website
It’s good news for Randy Bates and the Pennhurst Hospital property owners as Common Please Court Judge Robert Shenkin denied the request for an injunction to stop the Pennhurst Haunted Asylum from opening!
Excerpt from Daily Local News
“When you talk about harm, it is a balancing test,” Shenkin said after listening to about two hours of testimony in the case. “But I am not at all persuaded that the harm that may be suffered will have the kind of impact” necessary to grant a preliminary injunction, which he said should come only in “emergency” situations.
Randy Bates, the designer and promoter of the controversial attraction expressed satisfaction with Shenkin’s ruling Friday afternoon. He said it would allow him to open the event to visitors as planned Friday evening.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Bates, who owns the Bates Motel Halloween operation in neighboring Delaware County. “I put my heart and soul into this plan for months, and thousands of hours of work. I think we’ve created a world-class haunted attraction. We’re going to hit it tonight.”
Richard Chakejian, owner of the 111-acre property in East Vincent where the former hospital stood, said he too was glad Shenkin decided not to grant the Rivkin’s request for an injunction.
“I felt all along that the charges were meritless,” he said. “We followed al of the recommendations given us by the township. We passed all inspections, and we are looking forward to putting on a fun-filled family event.”
While it’s good news for Randy, it’s not all Kitten’s and Rainbows. The Judge did rule against the injunction this time, but it does not rule out hearing future appeals if the attraction proves to become a nuisance for property neighbors.
Now that you've read "Update – Injunction Denied: Pennhurst Haunted Asylum Opens Tonight!", be sure to post your questions or opinions on the HauntersDigest.com forums! Discuss this article with the other members of our community today!
Not yet a member of our forums? No problem! Regisitration is easy and only takes a minute. Click here to register now!
If your like me, your a fan of the “Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride”. This haunt has practically been on every Halloween haunted attraction show on the Travel Channel and has appeared on haunt news websites across the web. Now, they have updated their website for the upcoming 2011 season and it’s worth the visit to check out. Find out more inside.
The Pennhurst Haunted Asylum attraction has had some challenges from the moment it was announced. But despite all the trouble, they opened to thousands of waiting customers and have become a success. Read more inside!
This year is our 9th Halloween of bringing you totally demented masks, costumes and props online. Since 2001, we have grown from a very small website offering just a few dozen products to the huge selection we have today. We have also tailored our product line to those searching for the scariest stuff you can…..
It would appear that the battle going on over the former Pennhurst State Hospital property and the planned haunted attraction to be opened there by the property owners and Randy Bates, owner of the “Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride” attraction. I would appear that a couple, Saul and Linda Rivkin, have asked a judge to grant a preliminary injunction against the Pennhurst Asylum attraction due to their claim that the property owner is in violation of township zoning codes. It’s also worth noting that Saul is the chairman of the township Historical Review Commission.
Many inside the haunt industry have heard of Randy Bates and his haunted attraction “The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride”. We recently did a interview with Randy to talk about his attraction. Recently he has announced that he is currently working with the property owners of the former Pennhurst State School and Hosptial in order to open a new haunted attraction there by their request. Unfortunately, it’s meet with some resistance from local residence that live close to the property and from an advocates of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities that claim this type of attraction exploits and brings a negative attitude toward those that suffer from real mental health disorders. Many haunts in the industry that have a “Asylum” theme have experience this form of criticism and complaint, but Bates points out that this attraction is not meant to be offensive. It’s their intention that this be a positive event to help preserve the property and support the local area.
Download HDigest for your iOS and Android device today and always stay up to date with the latest from HauntersDigest.com
Want to show your support for HauntersDigest.com? Of course you do! We have created some banners below that you can place on your website to help show your support for HauntersDigest.com.
If you love HauntersDigest.com and want to help us keep going, then consider making a donation!
Donations can be a small monthly reoccurring or a single one-time donation.
Reoccurring payments can be canceled at anytime by visiting the "Stop Recurring Donation" link.
HauntersDigest.com is only made possible by our fans!
Subscribe via RSS
Subscribe via E-Mail
Fans