Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk joins lawsuit against Nashville over COVID-19 restrictions – Tennessean
The owner of Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse joined a lawsuit this week against Nashville and Tennessee leaders as tensions escalate over COVID-19 restrictions.
Steve Smith, who owns Kid Rock’s and several other downtown Nashville businesses, joined the suit seeking financial compensation for loss of business income during state and local stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The suit also cites a “disparity” between how Nashville treated businesses and protesters in recent weeks.
While local businesses were subject to strict capacity limits and COVID-19 safety measures after reopening, the city allowed tens of thousands of protesters to gather in close proximity in recent weeks, the suit said.
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“When confronted with the clear disparity in how government officials were treating
restaurant/bars compared to the individuals participating in protests, both Mayor (John) Cooper and Director (Michael) Caldwell basically said these individuals have the right to peacefully assemble under the First Amendment,” the lawsuit states.
Last week, the city issued a five-day beer permit suspension against four downtown bars for violating one of the city Health Department’s COVID-19 restrictions, including Kid Rock’s.
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Smith spoke out last week, saying the city is unfairly targeting downtown businesses in enforcing public safety measures meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“The Nashville government is, like, communist. They’ve got us behind a Berlin Wall,” Smith told The Tennessean last week. “It’s against our constitutional rights.”
The suit goes on to say the “facts have developed which demonstrate that Metro indeed is targeting restaurants and bars, especially live music venues in and about Broadway” and states “Metro officials are not being guided by science, but by political expediency.”
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Smith joins Geoffrey Reid, who owns The Local Spot and filed the initial lawsuit May 18, according to court documents. Smith and Reid accused Nashville and Tennessee leaders of violating their fundamental rights as a business owner in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, court documents show.
The lawsuit names Gov. Bill Lee, Mayor John Cooper, state Attorney General Herbert Slatery and Nashville health director Dr. Michael Caldwell as defendants. The latest court documents also request to add the Metro Beer Board and one of its members, Kia Jarmon, to that list.
Attorney Kirk Clements is representing the plaintiffs.
Rachel Wegner is a digital producer who also reports for The Tennessean. Find her on Twitter @rachelannwegner or email her at rawegner@tennessean.com.
Published 12:43 PM EDT Jun 27, 2020
