St. Paul / Gannon's owner awarded $235,000
STAR TRIBUNE (Mpls.-St. Paul) Newspaper of the Twin Cities
Byline: Staff Writer
A jury awarded $235,000 Friday to a St. Paul restaurant owner who says his business failed because of an unwarranted closing by city health inspectors. Inspectors had ordered Gannon's restaurant closed for 10 days in January 1990 because of alleged health violations, including a faulty dishwasher. The restaurant reopened but went out of business two weeks later.
Owner John Pavlak maintained at the time that city inspectors unfairly tested the dishwasher. His attorney, Earl Gray, said that inspectors found that the dishwasher's water temperature was too low because they did not wait long enough after the machine was turned on before testing it. The 10-day closing and news reports about it killed the restaurant's business and forced its permanent closing, Gray said.
The case was heard in Ramsey County District Court.