Minnesota Bar Owner Hit With Lawsuit For Plans To Open Early

STEARNS COUNTY, MN — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed an enforcement action against a bar owner who has vowed to reopen at least one of his bar locations in spite of Gov. Tim Walz's "Stay Safe Minnesota" executive order.

Walz has directed his cabinet to assemble guidance on how to safely reopen bars, restaurants, barbershops, and salons beginning June 1. However, until then, only takeout and pickup is allowed.

According to a statement from his office, Ellison told the bar owner, Kris Schiffler, that reopening early "would be both dangerous to the public health and in violation" of the statewide order.

According to the complaint, Schiffler has stated that "you have a better chance of getting eaten by a timber wolf or a grizzly bear than getting COVID-19."

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Minnesota. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

Schiffler is the owner and manager of six "Shady’s" bars: Shady’s Hometown Tavern and Event Center in Albany, Shady’s Long Shots in Cold Spring, Shady’s Bar & Grill in New Munich, and Shady’s Silver Spur in St. Martin, all in Stearns County; Shady’s Railside in Rice, in Benton County; and Shady’s Golden Eagle in Burtrum, in Todd County.

Earlier this month, Schiffler announced his intentions to reopen all of his bars May 18. Ellison's office says he restated his intentions when they initially contacted him May 15.

The next day, however, he said in a video that he wouldn't be able to open due Ellison's threat of a $25,000 fine per violation.

However, after raising more than $160,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, Schiffler announced on Facebook that "Shady’s Hometown Tavern in Albany will be open tomorrow, Monday May 18th at Noon!"

The GoFundMe page is now up to more than $189,567 in donations.

"We need our business back just like so many others do," the page states.

"This isn't a fight we should HAVE to fight, but it is a fight we are GOING to fight! We are taking a stand to fight for our rights to earn a living, to fight for our employees and their families and to fight for ALL MN SMALL BUSINESSES! In order to do this, we need to raise a minimum of $100,000 for legal fees to bring this to the Supreme Court. We want to ensure that this never, ever happens to any of us again. We want our rights, our freedom and our control back!"

Schiffler in a video Sunday said the Albany bar will enforce social distancing other guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Stearns County COVID-19 hot spot

According to the State of Minnesota COVID-19 dashboard, Stearns County now has the second-higher number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. In the first week of May, COVID-19 cases increased 454 percent in Stearns County, compared to 95.5 percent across the state as a whole.

The county's rate of COVID-19 cases per capita is 2.5 times higher than Hennepin County and 3.5 times higher than Ramsey County.

Read more: Minnesota Starts Reopening Monday: 5 Things To Know