May 18, 2020

Minnesota AG Suing Owner of Stearns County Restaurants for Opening Early

By Nathan Daggett / Assistant News Director

Minnesota’s Attorney General is suing the owner of a chain of bars and restaurants in Stearns County. The owner plans to open this week in violation of a state order to remain closed to on-site customers to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The lawsuit from Attorney General Keith Ellison filed on Sunday was met with criticism from House Republicans who are defending Shady’s Bar and Grill owner Kris Schiffler.  

Schiffler initially said that he would delay the opening until he received the state’s safety plan, but after raising over $160,000 through a GoFundMe fundraiser campaign, Schiffler announced on his personal Facebook page that his location in Albany would be open on Monday despite the public-health risk. Governor Tim Walz has set June 1 as the earliest date for bars and restaurants to open. 

The Star Tribune says Schiffler could be fined up to $25,000 for each location that opens. Schiffler also has bar and grills in Burtrum, Cold Spring, New Munich, Rice and St. Martin. All of these locations are in or near Stearns County.

Stearns County is currently a COVID-19 hot spot. In the first week of May, COVID-19 cases increased 454 percent in Stearns County, compared to 95.5 percent across the state as a whole.  According to the state of Minnesota COVID-19 dashboard, Stearns County now has the second-higher number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. Its rate of COVID-19 cases per capita is 2.5 times higher than Hennepin County and 3.5 times higher than Ramsey County.

Schiffler has said ‘you have a better chance of getting eaten by a timber wolf or a grizzly bear than getting COVID-19’ despite the MDH’s data on Stearns County.

The Attorney General’s office is seeking emergency relief from the court to prevent the six “Shady’s” bars and restaurants from violating Governor Walz’s Executive Order and putting its employees and the public at risk. 

Ellison’s office is continuing to investigate other bars and restaurants in the area that are trying to open early saying, most owners have agreed with us and complied with the law to not open illegally. 

Thank You Underwriters

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