Lilly's friend asks her, "Want me to do a Menendez on him [her father] ?" The friend is referring to the high-profile case of the Menendez murders from the late 1980's and early 1990's. In 1994, Lyle and Erik Menendez--American brothers from Beverly Hills, California--were convicted of the 1989 murder by shotgun of their wealthy parents, entertainment executive José Menendez and his wife Mary "Kitty" Menendez. Though initially not regarded as suspects, the brothers attracted the attention of authorities as they spent their deceased parents' fortune lavishly within weeks of the murders. During the trial, the brothers claimed that the murders stemmed from years of sexual and psychological abuse that they had suffered at the hands of their parents. They were first tried by two different juries (one for each brother). Both juries deadlocked which led to a mistrial. For the second trial, Erik and Lyle were judged by the same jury, who rejected the defense's claim. The brothers were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The Menendez murders are the subject of the latest Law & Order spin-off "Law & Order True Crime (2017)."
A cabaret license was a permit required for all businesses and public venues in New York City that had any kind of "musical entertainment, singing, dancing or other form of amusement". This license was required after the passing of the New York City Cabaret Law in 1926, during the prohibition era, the purpose of which was to reduce noise issues and ban more controversial forms of dancing such as lap dancing, topless dancing and rave dances; though some historians believe it was also a way to limit jazz clubs and other similar clubs that had African-American music and dancing. After prohibition was repealed sexually explicit forms of dancing were no longer banned but businesses that served food and/or drink still had to obtain a cabaret license if it had any type of dancing for entertainment, this was to keep noisy dance clubs away from residential areas and also to help maintain a safe environment for customers. All applicants for a cabaret license had to be fingerprinted; to provide extensive financial records; to meet specific zoning, surveillance, physical security, fire, building, electrical, health, and record keeping requirements; and to pay the fees associated with each compliance. The cabaret law was controversial and had a lot of people opposed to it, including city officials and lawyers who argued that it was unconstitutional and was a violation to the first amendment's free speech clause and the fourteenth amendment's equal protection under the law clause; as there were those that believed the law was originally passed to make it harder for minority owned dancing establishments to be run. As such the cabaret law was repealed in 2017 and businesses no longer have to obtain a city license to have dancers and dancing, though they are still subject to zoning laws and public health and safety laws just like in any other city.