The owners of a restaurant outside of Denver, Colorado, which was shut down by the state after defying a coronavirus mandate and allowing crowds to pack in for a Mother’s Day rush, have filed suit claiming its constitutional rights were violated.
The Denver Post said the suit was filed Friday by Jesse and April Arellano, owners of the C&C Coffee and Kitchen in Castle Rock, Colorado.
The suit cites the action by Gov. Jared Polis to suspend the restaurant’s license and says it is “unlawful, unprecedented and highly suspect,” according to the newspaper.
A state health order had said restaurants couldn’t offer dine-in services until May 26 at the earliest, although takeout and delivery orders were allowed.
“It was unbelievable,” said a resident, who had gone in to pick up food but instead took a picture of the crowd before leaving without paying for his order. "I wasn’t even going to eat the food even if I had gotten it.
“I walked in, took the picture, and turned right around.”
April Arellano had said at the time she would be out of business if she didn't "do something," but observers said social distancing was not being enforced and many customers were not wearing masks.
In the suit, the restaurant blames Polis, the state, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Tri-County Health Department for depriving the Arellanos “of their livelihood and ability to operate their business after they simply allowed customers onto their premises to serve food and beverages.”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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