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Help Liz & Melanie Get to Trial
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Help Liz & Melanie Take The Alibi Case to Jury Trial !
Liz Garo and Melanie Tusquellas poured their hearts, savings and decades of experience into creating The Alibi Palm Springs—a special place in a historic building where musicians, artists and fans could come together.
After three years of legal proceedings, their jury trial is finally scheduled for January 11, 2027.
This is a David-versus-Goliath fight, and they are facing "lawfare": the use of overwhelming legal resources and prolonged litigation to wear down smaller opponents. They have not given up. They have fought to get this far by using all their savings and every asset they had, and now need our help covering the final costs of reaching the courtroom.
What happened
During the pandemic, Liz and Melanie partnered with Beverly Hills based Save Live LLC (now Gate 52 LLC) in hopes of keeping The Alibi alive. Their lawsuit claims that the partnership ultimately destroyed the business they had worked so hard to build.
Liz and Melanie allege that Save Live and its principals Marc Geiger and John Fogelman:
- Broke their agreements and made material misrepresentations
- Interfered with The Alibi’s operations and liquor license
- Wanted to remove them from the business
- Made excessive, harmful and damaging false accusations against them
- Caused The Alibi to close permanently
- Caused them to lose their 25-year lease
- Caused them to lose all of their investment in the business
Now Liz and Melanie will finally have the chance to present the evidence, expose the truth, and show a jury exactly what happened—and why they are confident justice will prevail.
(Press coverage and additional information in links below)
Help them get there
Donations go to Phillip Cohen Esq to help cover court costs, jury fees, outside experts and other necessary trial expenses.
This is about helping two hardworking women make it through the final stretch and into the courtroom.
Whether you can give $10, $25 or simply share this page, every bit of support helps. Please pass it along to musicians, artists, independent-business owners and anyone who understands why small, creative spaces matter.
Liz and Melanie are almost there. Let’s help them cross the finish line.
If funds exceed the expenses associated with the case, the remainder will be donated to the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.
Jury trial: January 11, 2027
Court: Los Angeles Superior Court — Santa Monica Courthouse
Case number: 23SMCV02093
Organiser and beneficiary
Phillip Cohen, Esq
Beneficiary