Coronavirus, mask-mandate lawsuits filed by restaurants against Kansas City go away
The Blue Line, an ice-hockey themed bar and restaurant in the River Market, has dropped its lawsuit against Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Jackson County Executive Frank White for imposing emergency health orders in response to the global pandemic.
Without explanation, a lawyer for The Blue Line on March 16 filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss the case. On Monday, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Harrell dismissed the lawsuit.
Michael Gunter, the lawyer for The Blue Line, was not immediately available by phone or email to comment. The restaurant had objected to a 10 p.m. curfew in place at the time.
Gunter also represented O’Dowds, a Country Club Plaza restaurant that in January filed a petition seeking to prohibit Kansas City from enforcing its emergency order, given that other businesses like liquor stores and casinos were not subject to the same restrictions as restaurants. O’Dowds had its license temporarily suspended last October for exceeding a 50% capacity limit in place at time.
A Jackson County judge was not persuaded by the O’Dowds argument and denied the restaurant’s request.
Through Lucas’ spokesperson, a city attorney noted that Kansas City currently no longer faces any litigation related to mask mandates or emergency orders related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kansas City and other surrounding counties have relaxed some coronavirus restrictions, including curfews and capacity limits but still expect social distancing.
