N.O. seizes bar in way of new hospital development

A bar standing in the way of a contentious hospital development to replace hospitals damaged by Hurricane Katrina has been seized by city officials.

The owner of the Outer Banks Bar had tried to stop city officials from evicting him from the building, but on Monday a state judge ruled against him.

Greg Guth, the owner, says that shortly after the ruling authorities broke into the bar and seized it. A notice on the front door was signed by the city constable's office.

Guth has been trying to get more money for the loss of his property, which was taken as part of a new hospital district spanning 25 city blocks being built in downtown New Orleans. The city is clearing land for a new Veterans Affairs Department hospital and a replacement for Charity Hospital.