State settles with restaurants that violated executive orders
Cork in Anoka will fully comply with executive orders, agrees to 15-day liquor license suspension; Neighbors on the Rum in Princeton also to fully comply with executive orders
January 22, 2020 (SAINT PAUL) — The State of Minnesota has settled with two restaurants — Cork in Anoka and Neighbors on the Rum in Princeton — for violations of the previous ban on indoor, on-premises dining in Governor Tim Walz’s Executive Order 20-99 and related executive orders.
- Per the terms of a consent judgment with the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed in Anoka County, Anoka-based Cork will fully comply with the requirements of Governor Tim Walz’s current and future executive orders that apply to restaurants and/or bars while those executive orders are fully effective. If Cork violates any of the terms of the consent judgment, it is liable for a civil penalty of $25,000 to the State of Minnesota.
- Per the terms of a settlement with the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division of the Department of Public Safety, Cork has also agreed to a 15-day liquor license suspension. Cork’s liquor license expired on January 1, 2021, and the establishment has not taken steps to renew it. If Cork reapplies for a liquor license, the license will be suspended for the first 15 days after it is approved. Cork also agrees to comply with any future executive orders.
- Per the terms of a consent judgment with the Attorney General’s office filed in Mile Lacs County, Princeton-based Neighbors on the Rum will fully comply with the requirements of Governor Tim Walz’s current and future executive orders that apply to restaurants and/or bars while those executive orders are fully effective. Like Cork, if Neighbors on the Rum violates any of the terms of the consent judgment, it is liable for a civil penalty of $25,000 to the State of Minnesota.
On December 18, 2020, Attorney General Ellison’s office sued Cork for openly violating the ban on indoor on-premises dining in Governor Tim Walz’s Executive Order 20-99. On December 21, the office filed for a temporary restraining order against Cork. On December 17, 2020, Attorney General Ellison’s office sued Neighbors on the Rum for violating the same ban in Executive Order 20-99. The office did not file for a temporary restraining order against Neighbors on the Rum because it voluntarily complied with the executive order upon being sued.
“I want to thank Cork and Neighbors on the Rum for meeting their responsibility to help all Minnesotans stop the spread of COVID-19 and congratulate it on rejoining the vast majority of Minnesota bars and restaurants that are already doing so,” Attorney General Ellison said. “It brought me no joy to bring these enforcement action and I am happy to resolve them in a way that helps keep more Minnesotans safe from this deadly virus.
“Our top priority has always been education and voluntarily compliance. Enforcement has always been a last resort,” Attorney General Ellison continued. “This settlement can be a sign to the very small handful of establishments that are violating the executive order that compliance is still available to them.”
These represent the second and third settlement the Attorney General’s office has reached with establishments against which it had filed enforcement actions for violating the terms of Executive Orders 20-99 and 20-103. On January 12, 2021, Attorney General Ellison’s office settled its lawsuit against Cornerstone Café in Monticello.
Attorney General Ellison’s office and State agencies such as the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health have a variety of enforcement tools available to enforce relevant parts of the Governor’s executive orders related to stopping the spread of COVID-19. The Governor’s executive orders have the force and effect of law during the peacetime emergency.
