Kid Rock's Nashville-based Big Ass Honky Tonk & Steakhouse has joined a lawsuit filed by several other Nashville business establishments against state and local officials over COVID-19 restrictions, according to the Tennessean.
Earlier this month, the bar and restaurant temporarily had its beer license pulled for five days and was fined $1,000 after being found in violation of multiple social distancing orders.
The lawsuit alleges that government officials are not treating bars and restaurants in the same way they are treating people participating in protests over the murder of George Floyd. It cites the “clear disparity in how government officials are treating restaurant and bars compared to the individuals participating in protests,” and accuses officials of “not being guided by science, but by political expediency.”
The lawsuit is seeking financial compensation for a loss of business income during the lockdown.
Steve Smith, who co-owns Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk with the singer, previously described Nashville’s government as “communist,” also saying, “They’ve got us behind a Berlin Wall.” Nashville was in stage three of re-opening this week, but the state reported more new infections over the weekend than in any time period since the start of the pandemic and is extending restrictions on activities.
