Butler County is among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Governor Tom Wolf over the forced closure of businesses due to COVID-19.
The lawsuit filed Thursday was also joined by the owners of Double Image Styling Salon in Butler, Prima Capelli, Inc in Butler, R.W. McDonald & Sons of Butler, Starlight Drive-In in Butler, the Evans City owner of a race horse training business, the counties of Fayette, Greene, and Washington, other businesses in those counties, U.S. Representative Mike Kelly, and state Reps Marci Mustello, Daryl Metcalfe, and Tim Bonner.
The lawsuit alleges that Wolf’s order on March 19th to shut down all businesses designated as not life-sustaining constituted a violation of due process, equal protection, and first amendment rights.
Wolf’s plan to permit 27 counties in northwest and north central PA to begin the first stage of reopening on Friday includes four counties that border Butler County, giving businesses there an unfair advantage not supported by available health data and guidelines according to the lawsuit.
The filing occurred in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and also names PA Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine as a defendant.