Bar and restaurant group files suit to lift Minnesota’s COVID restrictions

A bar and restaurant association is suing Gov. Tim Walz for imposing a curfew and other “unconstitutional restrictions” on them with his executive orders aimed at combating COVID-19.

The lawsuit filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court by the Minnesota Operators of Music & Amusement Association (MOMA) and several bars and restaurants alleges the governor’s restrictions are causing significant financial losses and unfairly singles them out while allowing retailers to continue business as usual.

“The decision to close restaurants and bars between the hours of 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. was made without citing any data demonstrating that the risk of COVID exposure increases during this time, and it has greatly affected our ability to survive as an industry,” Dan Lieberman, president of American Amusement Arcades and a MOMA board member, said in a statement.