JOHNS CREEK, Ga. (AP) The owner of an adult video store can sue Johns Creek for $1.7 million he claims he lost because the city denied him permission for a sign.

A Superior Court judge ruled Monday to allow John Cornetta's suit to proceed.

Cornetta's store, the Love Shack, closed in October, almost two years after it opened. Officials and residents made it clear they aimed to shut down the Love Shack from the time the city was incorporated in 2006.

The city said he could not have a sign because he didn't have a Fulton County business license. But the judge's ruling observed that city regulations do not require a sign applicant to have a business license.

City Attorney Bill Riley says the city has not decided whether to appeal.

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