Lauren Cusimano
Audio By Carbonatix
Arizona State University students may be away for summer break, but the saga of one embattled college bar continues. City and state officials roundly denied accusations that they conspired to take down Tempe Tavern through two massive raids in 2025 that the bar has called “selective enforcement.”
It’s the city and state’s first response in federal court to a lawsuit brought by Tempe Tavern and its owner Robert Tasso in February. The suit claims that Tempe, its police department and state liquor license enforcement officers violated Tasso’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. How, exactly? Tempe Tavern’s lawsuit says the bar was singled out with raids targeting underage drinkers that drew local headlines and calls for the bar to lose its liquor license. The suit alleges statements by city and state officials have led to “reputational harm” to the bar, too.
The accused officials have maintained that they’re simply doing their jobs to keep young people safe and ensure bars are following the law. Over two years, about 80% of the people Tempe police arrested and cited for underage drinking and using fake IDs were at Tempe Tavern, a city statement noted in February. The city has called the bar’s lawsuit “absurd.”
“This establishment’s actions and continued blatant disregard for the law and public safety speak for themselves,” the statement said.
What happened at Tempe Tavern?
Tempe Tavern has poured beers in the historic, cobblestone-walled White Dairy Barn at the northeast corner of McClintock Road and Apache Boulevard, near ASU, since 2011.
It’s also purportedly the college town’s “freshman bar” because of the ease of entry for underage drinkers, per a state investigation. Two raids at the bar in April and November 2025 netted 422 arrests for underage drinking, use of fake IDs and making false statements. Those raids drew community scrutiny and put Tempe Tavern’s liquor license at risk.
The bar’s owner countered with a federal lawsuit filed in February. It names the city of Tempe, its Police Chief Kenneth McCoy, Lt. Erik Hernandez and Detective Juan Robles, as well as Arizona Department of Liquor Licensing and Control Director Ben Henry, Lt. Luis Samudio and Sgt. Filbert Barrera.
The tavern’s attorney has referred to the owner as “highly scrupulous” and claims city and state officials engaged in a “smear campaign” by connecting the bar to a teenage driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run in September. A motorcyclist collided with a self-driving car, then was hit by a Chevy Camaro driven by ASU student Ava Bellowe. She was at the bar before getting behind the wheel, investigators found, and used a fake ID to gain entry. Bellowe has been charged with a felony for leaving the scene of an accident involving a death. She pleaded not guilty in Maricopa County Superior Court on June 25. That case is ongoing.
The bar’s business has dropped by 80 to 90% since the raids, Tempe Tavern’s federal lawsuit said.
Two weeks after the federal lawsuit was filed, the state’s Department of Liquor Licensing and Control released its investigative report on Tempe Tavern. The bar has operated “effectively as an illegal ‘speakeasy’ for minors” the state investigator wrote. The investigator recommended pulling Tempe Tavern’s liquor license.
The following month, the city of Tempe filed a case against the tavern in its municipal court. The city alleges the bar was over capacity and had underage people on site, among other issues that violate the bar’s security plan. Tempe’s fire department also found four violations during an inspection, the city’s federal court filing said. The municipal court case is also ongoing.
It’s unclear when a decision will be made on the fate of the bar’s liquor license. Currently, Tempe Tavern’s liquor license is active, and the bar can continue to operate as these cases move forward. Students return to campus on Aug. 15.
