A judge ruled Wednesday that the 10 p.m. last call order will stay in place during a lawsuit to determine it’s legality, according to WTRF.
NBC reported that a lawsuit filed by a number of Ohio restaurants and bars sought an emergency restraining order against the state’s order. The Ohio Liquor Control Board approved the emergency order at Governor Mike DeWine’s request, which mandated bars and restaurants to cut off liquor sales at 10 p.m. This emergency order went into effect last weekend.
Ed Hastie, an attorney representing the bars and restaurants, argued that the law was discriminatory and that it targeted a very small portion of the restaurant industry, according to NBC4i. He also said most bars and restaurants are already following the governor’s Dine Safe Ohio Order.
DeWine acknowledged that most bars are compliant at a press conference recently.
“This last week our Ohio investigative unit found bars where no social distancing safety measures were in place. The patrons were packed on outside patios, and a dance floor was packed shoulder to shoulder. Actors like this are in fact outliers, there is, however, an inherent problem connected with bars,” the governor stated, according to WHIO.
Marrion Little, an attorney representing Ohio, defended the order saying “the federal government’s position is, bars should be closed. DeWine’s position is, we are going to do the best to keep the bars open. However, we have to make some, I think, modest compromises,” reports WLWT.
In a separate report, NBC stated that DeWine said that bars and restaurants would still be allowed to serve alcohol in a take out only capacity.
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Ben Kolodny is a reporter at The Ohio Star and the Star News Network. You can follow Ben on Twitter. Tips can be sent to [email protected].
