A Los Angeles restaurateur is suing Gov. Gavin Newsom in federal court, seeking to overturn a ban on outdoor dining implemented across vast swaths of California in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Pineapple Hill Saloon and Grill in Sherman Oaks. The owner, Angela Marsden, was seen in a viral video fighting back tears over the ban, which had forced the closure of her restaurant even as an outdoor dining area was set up by a Hollywood movie crew a short distance away.
The legal team, led by famed attorney Mark Geragos, seeks to overturn the ban, calling it an unconstitutional stretch of power by Newsom that is not supported by scientific evidence.
“The state health director admitted they had no data to support the outdoor closures, and the governor has obviously lost any moral authority due to his rank hypocrisy,” Geragos said, referring to Newsom’s dinner last month at the French Laundry.
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