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The Toronto Lawn Tennis Club does not loudly advertise its presence. It sits behind gates on a dead-end off Yonge Street, bordered mainly by residential backyards.

It seems to know its place. This is not Forest Hill or the Bridle Path, where luxury is lavish and on demand, regardless of etiquette. This is Rosedale, where the pasta place next to the club famously will not put Parmesan on seafood even if you ask nicely. And if you don’t like rules like that, you probably don’t belong here in the first place.

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Few people belong at the Toronto Lawn like Roel Bramer, 76, a pioneering figure in the city’s nightlife, and a member of nearly 50 years, whose legal battle with the club is deep into knock-down, drag-out, expensive litigation, with witnesses that include a sitting senator and a high-society heir to the Eaton fortune.

At issue is Bramer’s alleged drunk driving, and the club’s allegedly biased and unfair discipline process. Last year, those two factors led to the lengthy suspension of his membership, which is set to last until June, and only be lifted if he agrees to never drive to or from the club again.