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Comedy Store Says It Lost $8.5 Million in COVID Funds Because Accountant Missed Deadline
Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Comedy Store filed a lawsuit on Tuesday claiming that it lost out on $8.5 million in COVID relief funds because its accountant didn’t know about a government deadline. The comedy club sued Moss Adams LLP, alleging that the firm failed to warn that the application period for the grants was about to close. In late 2020, Congress approved $16 billion in relief funding to theaters and live performance venues that had been forced to close due to the pandemic. In the suit, the Comedy Store says that its business plummeted by nearly 90% in the latter half of 2020. The iconic club — which helped launch the careers of Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, David Letterman and many others — was not allowed to reopen at full capacity until last fall.
