Scott Legato/Getty ImagesKid Rock‘s Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse continues to be at the center of controversy regarding COVID-19 restrictions in Nashville.
Earlier this month, the establishment was hit with a five-day beer permit suspension after seating and serving customers at a bar, in violation of Nashville Health Department rules. Now, The Tennessean reports that Steve Smith, the owner of Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse, has joined a lawsuit against Nashville and several Tennessee state leaders in order to combat those restrictions.
According to The Tennessean, the lawsuit claims there’s a “disparity” between how Nashville is treating bars and restaurants versus how its treating those participating in the ongoing protests against racism and police brutality.
“Metro officials are not being guided by science, but by political expediency,” the suit states.
Smith recently gave an interview with The Tennessean in which he characterized the Nashville government as “like, communist.”
“They’ve got us behind a Berlin Wall,” he said. “It’s against our constitutional rights.”
Back in March, just as the pandemic was ramping up, Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse made headlines when Smith announced he was refusing to close the establishment in defiance of the Nashville mayor’s orders. He eventually changed course and complied with the mayor’s mandate.
By Josh Johnson
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
