MOBILE, Ala. -- Neighbors who live near a popular music venue in downtown Mobile are suing the bar in hopes of shutting it down or forcing it to turn down the volume.

The plaintiffs, Jeffrey and Patsy Jordan and a real-estate company, Herman and Sarah Properties LLC, claim in their lawsuit that noise coming from the Alabama Music Box is so loud that it's made their properties unlivable.

The suit, filed in Mobile County Circuit Court, claims unspecified damages and seeks a court order to shut down the club or force it to limit the noise.

The bar’s owners, meanwhile, point out that their Dauphin Street address has been home to a nightclub for more than 30 years, with a focus on live music for the last 20. That’s longer than the plaintiffs have lived nearby, they say.

They also point out that Dauphin Street has been designated as an entertainment district by the city, so the neighbors should expect to deal with some noise.

“They have over 150 square miles to pick from to live in this city where I can’t go plop down a music venue,” said David Mathews, one of the owners. “We have about three square miles in a city-designated entertainment district to do what we do, and we’re being attacked for it.”

Jeffrey Jordan and Irvin Grodsky, a member of the property company, declined comment, referring questions to their attorney, J. Patrick Courtney III.

Courtney said Alabama law doesn’t allow one property owner to damage or unreasonably disturb his neighbor’s property, even if they are in an entertainment district.

“Nobody ought to be able to keep his neighbors up all night just trying to make a buck,” Courtney said.

Mathews said he has tried to appease the neighbors over the years, but they have been unreasonable, demanding the club mute all base-level frequencies. As the club plays host to frequent electronic music acts that rely heavily on bass, muting those frequencies would effectively mute the music.

Mathews said he also has offered to reduce the frequency of such electronic shows from six times per month to two times per month. Rather than give him a chance to implement the changes, the neighbors sent a letter asking when he and his partner planned to vacate the premises, Mathews said.

According to the lawsuit, the owners have made promises in the past only to later ignore them.

The owners of the venue have yet to file their formal response, and no date has been set for a hearing.