Federal judge dismisses fitness gym’s suit against Starkville over pandemic closure
A federal judge has dismissed a civil suit filed by a local fitness gym against the city of Starkville.
In an opinion issued Tuesday, Senior U.S. District Judge for North Mississippi Glen H. Davidson said the plaintiff, Starkville Athletic Club, had not proven the city had violated the business owners’ rights when forcing it and other non-essential businesses to close in April 2020 to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Gov. Tate Reeves issued executive orders in April 2020 that temporarily shut down non-essential businesses which included fitness gyms, spas, salons and barbershops, among others and aldermen approved local ordinances that mirrored the state order. Reeves’ orders did not allow fitness gyms to reopen until early May 2020.
Starkville Athletic Club sues city for required closing during pandemic Joe Underwood
The managers of a Starkville gym are suing the city in federal court, claiming that being required to close during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic violated their constitutional rights.
Starkville Athletic Club owner John Underwood and his son, manager and CEO Joe Underwood, filed the lawsuit Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. They claim the closing is a “taking” of private property “for public use, without just compensation” and therefore violates the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The gym’s loss of income since having to close further violates the Fifth Amendment, the complaint reads, because the city imposed a fine and imprisonment as consequences for violating Gov. Tate Reeves’ executive order. The suit requests the city pay damages to Starkville Athletic Club for its income lost.
The Dickson County School Board is focused on getting neutral data about growth areas and facilities’ student populations in Dickson County before proceeding with long-range planning.
The board asked school administrators at a special planning session Thursday to move toward gathering more information before committing to a facility plan.
Schools Director Dr. Danny Weeks repeated that education leaders should have a plan ready if County Mayor Bob Rial and the county commission approve approximately $30 million in funding the mayor has said might be available in the next few years for school capital projects.
Weeks again asked the board to provide direction “in terms of administration, in terms of looking at facilities, looking at land, looking at properties.