An Oregon salon owner is fighting back in court against Democrat Governor Kate Brown and coronavirus lockdowns that have negatively impacted her business.
Lindsey Graham, the outspoken owner of Glamour Salon in Salem, cited damage to her “reputation and goodwill” in a lawsuit against Brown for $100,000 after being forced to close her shop due to the coronavirus pandemic and then being fined $14,000 when she needed to reopen.
The lawsuit, filed on Dec. 18 in Marion County court, alleged that forcing small private businesses to close “caused greater negative health effects on Oregonians in the form of increased stress, anxiety and depression,” KATU reported.
Since some businesses are able to remain open safely and follow government measures meant to protect the public health, Graham contended in the lawsuit, the governor has no right to order them to close.
“The government imposed irrational and random restrictions on which businesses could remain open and which businesses had to close,” the lawsuit stated. “The government provided little to no notice to the business owners or their employees before entire sectors of the economy were randomly closed for business.”
The lawsuit went on to note how “in an instant,” Oregonians lost their ability to provide for their families because of order from a “callous and unsympathetic bureaucracy.”
Brown and other Oregon officials, including the director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, were slammed for collecting paychecks “on the backs of the very people who were losing their jobs, careers and businesses” under their warnings and orders.
Glamour Salon was forced to close back in March when Brown issued the “Stay Home, Save Lives” order. Graham reopened her salon in defiance of Brown’s orders six weeks later, according to KATU.
“If we can all get back to work and feed our families, then I’m going to keep doing it,” Graham said. “It’s my constitutional right to earn a living for my family, and I’m going to do it.”
But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration closed her case, fining her $14,000 and calling her business a “hazardous facility” for employees.
“OSHA finally decided that my case was closed and decided my disciplinary action is as follows: That I would received a $14,000 fine for operating a ‘hazardous facility for my employees’ which I do not have.” Graham said at press conference. “I have independent contractors who are choosing to work at this facility.”
In July, the business owner filed a $100,000 civil rights lawsuit against the governor, the State of Oregon and several state agencies, contending that the fine was “illegally and improperly” issued.
“It’s to prevent Americans from losing their livelihoods,” Graham said at the time about her lawsuit.
“The conduct of the Defendants represents the absolute worst abuses of power one could possibly imagine,” her attorney Ross Day said in the first lawsuit. “Even George Orwell would be shocked and appalled at the Defendants’ conduct. At the heart of the Defendants’ conduct is the Defendants’ ultimate goal: make Plaintiff Lindsey Graham an example to anyone else who may try to experience personal and economic freedom.”
The latest lawsuit claimed that Graham and others like her ” have a right” to question and protest the government’s decisions and she has “a right – indeed a duty – to stand against the government when the safety and security of their families are put at risk by the very government that is supposed to be there to protect them.”
“As a result of ceasing operations, Graham suffered damages in that she lost business opportunity, revenue from clients, and damage to her reputation and goodwill,” the lawsuit continued, citing the “inability to generate revenue” that continued to compound the problems.
The lawsuit alleged that the Democrat governor and other state officials “developed a callous disregard and contempt” for others who “were practically begging for ‘permission'” to continue working to provide for their families rather than just collect a government paycheck.
Brown and the others were accused of trying to silence Graham and of an “abuse of public office,” slamming the “scheme of harassment, intimidation, bullying and borderline extortion developed by Defendant State of Oregon and perpetuated by Defendant Kate Brown,” the lawsuit stated.
The filing cited the government actions as a violation of the equal protection of the laws and due process guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, as well as seeking monetary damages.
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
[email protected]
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
- Raw footage shows high school brawl that left one student dead, another in the hospital - November 28, 2023
- Pence testified misplaced bit of punctuation in his book made J6 claim inadvertently work in Trump’s favor: report - November 28, 2023
- Biden to skip important climate event in risky political move - November 28, 2023
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
