LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has found that a lawsuit by a man denied a liquor license so he could open a nightclub in Lincoln can proceed against the city.

Senior U.S. District Judge Lyle Strom ruled that a third amended complaint filed by Shane Harrington meets the legal criteria to move forward.

Harrington alleges in the lawsuit that the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission wrongfully denied him a license that would have allowed him to open Club Smooth, a nightclub planned for downtown Lincoln. Harrington is seeking $12 million in damages.

Much of the testimony during a 2011 commission hearing focused on Harrington’s ownership of pornographic websites. Harrington says he was harassed by Lincoln officials and that his license application was unrelated to his websites.