Solstice Bar & Grill at 117 W. Market St. in North Scranton was evicted and barred from operating for one year after a default judgment in favor of the Commonwealth in the Lackawanna County District Attorney's public nuisance lawsuit.
The ruling marks the final chapter in a fast-moving legal fight that began earlier this month. As WNEP reported, the closure followed an emergency civil action filed by the Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office, and a default judgment barred the bar from operating for one year.
The legal maneuvering started on October 5, when a Lackawanna County judge issued an emergency injunction ordering Solstice Bar & Grill to immediately cease operations and directing law enforcement to padlock all entrances, according to footage shared by FOX56. That order authorized county prosecutors and Scranton police to secure the premises against public entry, effectively locking the doors before any eviction was finalized.
A Street-Blocking Crowd Triggered the Shutdown
The emergency filing traces back to October 3, when a large crowd blocked West Market Street outside the venue, forcing a countywide mutual-aid police response from Scranton police and Pennsylvania State Police. The incident is detailed by Wisevoter, which reported that authorities cited recurring reports of violence, illegal drug activity, and weapons near the property as justification for seeking the padlock order.
That wasn't an isolated flashpoint. Prior to the legal shutdown, Solstice Bar & Grill had accumulated at least seven citations from the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement spanning 18 distinct operational dates, per the same outlet's reporting — a documented pattern of regulatory trouble rather than a one-off incident.
The venue's problems extended beyond liquor code violations. Scranton police arrested a woman in connection with the theft of a security guard's firearm outside the bar, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune's reporting cited by Wisevoter. Officers had responded to multiple disturbance and weapon calls at the site throughout the year.
Manager Faces Sentencing in Separate Felony Case
Compounding the bar's legal troubles, its manager pleaded guilty on September 14 to two third-degree felony offenses in neighboring Luzerne County and is scheduled for criminal sentencing on November 23, the report notes. The pending sentencing was highlighted in public reporting surrounding the nuisance complaint as part of the broader picture prosecutors presented to the court.
Solstice Bar & Grill occupied the property at 117 W. Market St.
The Legal Tool Behind the Closure
The district attorney's office brought its action under Section 611 of the Pennsylvania Liquor Code.
With the default judgment now entered and the business evicted, questions remain about what comes next for the North Scranton property — including whether a new commercial tenant will move in and what becomes of the site's state liquor license. For now, the doors at 117 W. Market St. remain shut under court order during the one-year bar on operations.
