Otsego County Judge Rules in Favor of Iron Pig Smokehouse over Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the MDHHS

 

On Friday Otsego County Judge Colin Hunter ruled in favor of the Iron Pig Smokehouse in Michigan over tyrannical Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Health Department officials.

Otsego County Judge Hunter ruled that Governor Whitmer and the MDHHS lacked the legal authority to impose COVID lockdown restrictions on a Michigan restaurant.

The Iron Pig will not be forced to pay Whitmer’s $5,000 fine.

Here is a copy of Saturday’s ruling.

Otsego County Michigan Judg… by Jim Hoft

The Iron Pig Smokehouse sued Whitmer back in May 2021 for fines and the loss of business from her tyrannical rulings.

Detroit Eater reported at the time.

The owner of Iron Pig Smokehouse in Northern Michigan is suing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for fines and loss of business he received after defying state orders during last fall’s indoor dining closures.

The Gaylord restaurateur’s lawsuit, filed in Otsego County District Court, seeks damages in excess of $25,000 and alleges that Whitmer lacked the legal authority to impose restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Owner Ian Murphy’s suit says the governor and the health department closed his barbecue business so “that it was unable to operate, unable to earn an income, and unable to function in any way.” The governor has three weeks to respond. The governor’s office has not immediately responded to a request for comment.

In November, the state health department closed indoor dining and restricted capacity and hours for bars and restaurants as coronavirus caseloads surged. Murphy has been openly defying closing orders and restrictions since then, resulting in numerous fines and the temporary suspension of his food and liquor licenses.

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission in December suspended the restaurant’s liquor license and tacked on a fine for violation of the ban on indoor dining and for not enforcing mask-wearing requirements. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development took away the business’s food license and lobbed a fine as well.

Murphy’s lawsuit references a Michigan Supreme Court ruling last year that said a 1945 law giving the governor the power to issue a closure order for bars and restaurants was unconstitutional.