A Minnesota bar owner lost her business, liquor and food service licenses, and is facing up to $350,000 in fines for violating a governor’s executive order. But the Minnesota Attorney General’s lawsuit doesn’t list any actual harm caused by her actions.
“I didn’t break the law; I defied the executive order,” Lisa Monet Zarza told The Epoch Times.
Zarza’s attorney, Richard Dahl of Brainerd, Minnesota, did not respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times. Nor did the Minnesota Attorney General’s office.
The lawsuit was filed in Minnesota District Court in Dakota County. It alleges that Lionheart LLC, doing business as Alibi Drinkery of Lakeville, Minnesota, opened for business illegally from Dec. 16–30, 2020.
Gov. Tm Walz had ordered bars, restaurants, and other businesses closed to stem the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.
It was one of a series of executive orders issued from March 2020 to June 2021 after Walz declared a “peacetime emergency.” A review of available data by The Epoch Times indicates Walz’s orders likely accomplished nothing toward controlling the spread of the CCP virus.
Zarza said that she and her business partner had complied with all state mandates up to that point. They closed for the initial two-week period in March 2020 to “flatten the curve.” They offered take-out service and outdoor dining as much as they could.
Zarza said Alibi Drinkery never reported an issue and was never connected to any COVID cases.
“We closed exactly how they said,” she said.
The peacetime emergency declaration, approved by the legislature, allowed Walz to issue edicts with the power of law. One of those was Executive Order 20-99.
It was issued on Nov. 19, 2020, in response to a spike in positive tests for the virus in the state.
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According to the order, “The virus is everywhere, meaning that every interaction we have with people outside our households poses a risk of transmission.”
The 23-page order declared that previous efforts to control the spread of the virus needed to be increased. Therefore, a mask mandate was instituted, and various organizations such as gyms, bars and restaurants, sports venues, and others considered high risks for spreading the virus were ordered to close.
She described Alibi Drinkery as a “hometown bar” in Lakeville, a community in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. She said she was active in the Lakeville business scene serving on various boards and with the Chamber of Commerce. Alibi Drinkery sponsored sports teams and hosted parties and community events.
“We were embedded in the community,” Zarza said.
Zarza said she started in the restaurant business as a 20-year-old. She loves the work, and it has become the only life she has ever really known.
“I don’t drink, and I don’t do drugs; I run restaurants,” she quipped during a telephone interview.
Read more here…
Source: The Epoch Times via ZeroHedge
Michael Clements focuses mainly on the Second Amendment and individual rights for The Epoch Times. He has more than 30 years of experience in print journalism, having worked at newspapers in Alabama, Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. He is based in Durant, Oklahoma.
Image: Lisa Monet Zarza, owner of Alibi Drinkery in her bar in the Minneapolis metropolitan area, Minn., on Dec. 30, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)
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