Owner Of Closed Restaurant Sues California Governor Over COVID Restrictions

A California restaurant owner has filed a lawsuit against California Governor Gavin Newsom over the state's recent ban on outdoor dining. Angela Marsden, who owns Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill in Sherman Oaks, said that she spent tens of thousands of dollars to set up her restaurant for outdoor dining, only to be told it was no longer allowed.

The lawsuit said that Newsom's order is a violation of the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments.

"Defendants, in a gross abuse of their power, have seized the Coronavirus pandemic to expand their authority by unprecedented lengths, depriving Plaintiff and all other similarly situated small business owners in California of fundamental rights protected by the U.S. and California Constitutions," the complaint states.

Marsden made news a few weeks back after posting a video of a television production that was going on next door. In the video, she blasted California for forcing her to close down her bar while allowing a production crew to set up tents and tables for the cast and crew to eat.

Marsden's lawsuit references the viral video, claiming it is an example of politicians "supporting their campaign donors at the expense of small businesses[.]"

"In her video, Ms. Marsden displays the hypocrisy, lunacy and total disparity between her own socially distanced outdoor set-up at her establishment juxtaposed by a similarly situated set-up containing outdoor tents and chairs associated with the NBC Universal production set for the series 'Good Girls,' which was allowed to proceed as essential work," the lawsuit states.

California has defended its ban on outdoor dining while allowing production companies to operate. Officials said they granted permission for the television production because it was not open to the public.

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