The Minnesota Attorney General’s office has filed a lawsuit against two bars that reopened in defiance of a state mandate that required all restaurants and bars to close for indoor dining.
Attorney General Keith Ellison served a lawsuit to the Alibi Drinkery in Lakeville on Thursday, according to the Star Tribune, which was alleged to have violated a state executive order closing restaurants and cafes for indoor dining.
Ellison’s office said that the bar had “proudly announced its dangerous decision” to reopen and was “promising to pack more people into enclosed indoor spaces,” according to the Star Tribune.
The bar was reportedly opened on Wednesday and remained open again on Thursday.
“When asked what she would do if officials asked her to close, Alibi Drinkery’s owner stated that she would ‘see them in court,” Ellison’s office said in the statement. (RELATED: ‘Killing Us’: NYC Restaurant Workers Beg Cuomo To Ease Restrictions On Indoor Dining)
Minnesota bar vows to stay open despite lawsuit from state and ban on indoor dining https://t.co/UDHmbfvIAu pic.twitter.com/GxoPFRSkba
— The Hill (@thehill) December 18, 2020
A second bar named in the lawsuit, Neighbors on the Rum in Princeton, had opened their doors on Wednesday evening to around 40-50 people, according to the Star Tribune.
Emergency Executive Order 20-99, first signed on Nov. 18, banned indoor dining and was supposed to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Friday. The order was extended by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz until January 11, according to the Star Tribune.
Other states have shuttered indoor dining for the winter months, including New York and Pennsylvania, prompting a wave of backlash against governors in their respective states from small business owners.