The Pima County Superior Court granted a temporary injunction, halting the enforcement of the 10 p.m. curfew. Owners and operators of the Maverick and Cobra Arcade Bar in Tucson are happy with the ruling.
Richard French, the general manager of Cobra Arcade Bar, says the curfew was a huge obstacle since about 80% of their sales happened after 10 p.m. And due to COVID-19 regulations already in place, the bar was operating with less than half of its arcade games — its selling point.
“We were operating at a loss. So I mean I had to let go of the majority of my staff. I went from a pre-COVID staff of about 30 to a post-COVID staff of about 16 and then a post-curfew staff of about, I think six total, and that’s including myself," French said.
Grant Krueger, the owner of the Maverick, says he couldn’t understand the county's perspective that a business like his could adhere to safety protocols only up until 9:59 p.m. He felt the curfew unfairly targeted the restaurant and hospitality industry.
The court granted the injunction, concluding the curfew "violated the governor’s executive order," wasn’t "statutorily authorized," and the "plaintiffs demonstrated the possibility of harm."
Thomas Denker, an attorney representing the challengers, says the injunction will be in place until a trial is held. However, he says since the county has appealed the ruling, the timeline of when a trial may be held is unclear.
