Garage Door Saloon civil cases ongoing, City withdraws violations

According to a Garage Door Saloon spokesperson, the civil case against National Builders & Acceptance Corp. is still undergoing depositions, and the City withdrew violations in the case against National Builders. National Builders claims against Sin City are still proceeding. 

Mark Welshonse, the owner of GDoor and Sin City, has rented the space that houses the popular Oakland bar since 2006. He and Neal Scoratow, the landlord of the building and president of National Builders, have disputed building repairs since March 2021. City inspectors condemned portions of the building where GDoor is located in August 2021.

Justin Romano, Scoratow’s attorney, said the City withdrew the violation in the NT-406 case, originally scheduled to be heard in May, because the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI) issued a permit allowing Scoratow to proceed with work inside the property. He also said the NT-405 case will now be heard in August because Scoratow’s permit request for an electrical repair is still pending with the PLI.

Romano declined to comment on the ongoing dispute between the landlord and tenant over who is responsible for electrical maintenance of the property, which is part of a separate civil case.

According to the spokesperson, the civil case will be heard once depositions are complete, but there is not a set date for the hearing yet. Since litigation on this case is ongoing, the spokesperson declined to comment any further on the matter.

When contacted for comment, Scoratow said his attorney advised him to not disclose information while litigation is underway.  

A previous version of this story referred to the civil case against National Builders as a case against Neal Scoratow, and noted that National Builders’ case against Sin City was dropped. The civil case involving National Builders’ claims against Sin City  is currently proceeding at Allegheny County docket number GD-21-007843, while the City withdrew violations in the NT-406 case. The article has been updated to reflect this change. The Pitt News regrets this error.

A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed information to Mark Welshonse. The information should be attributed to a GDoor spokesperson. The story has been changed to reflect this. The Pitt News regrets this error.