Ohio Dance Studio Owners File Lawsuit Against the State Over Financial Losses Due to the Shutdown

Nine dance studio owners have filed a class-action lawsuit against the State of Ohio in Lake County Common Pleas Court on June 22, claiming that the state's "unconstitutional and overly restrictive" COVID-19 measures caused them thousands of dollars in financial damage, according to News 5.

Attorney Gerald W. Phillips, who is representing the dance studio owners, says that they are seeking monetary compensation to be decided by a jury.

"It's the unlawful, illegal, unconstitutional actions of Amy Acton and Governor DeWine," Philips said. "These dance studio owners need just compensation for it, for the period in which they were closed completely, from March until just recently."

Angel Criado, owner of the Rhythm and Grace Dance Studios in Seven Hills, is one of those named in the lawsuit. He said that he has lost more than $30,000 since March, and the losses continue despite being able to be partially open.

"It's being presented we're open, but the fact of the matter is we're only allowed to do half or less of the capacity," Criado said. "We also have to increase our overhead to cover all of the new regulations that we previously never had."

Read a copy of the lawsuit here and read the full story on News 5.