Tanning salon owner files lawsuit against city of Columbus

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The city of Columbus has been sued by the owner of a tanning salon who said the city violated his constitutional rights when they forced his business to close over fears because of COVID-19.

In the lawsuit, filed by Attorney Jim Waide, the owner of Golden Glow Tanning Salon claimed the city of Columbus caused harm to his business by adding tanning salons to a list of non-essentials businesses that had to close over COVID-19 concerns.

Waide said Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves never mentioned tanning salons in any of his executive orders which closed businesses, and by doing so, the city of Columbus overstepped its authority.

Waide said the city should be responsible for income lost by the business during the forced shutdown. He said there were other factors to consider.

“The nature of this virus is it is potentially returning, you turn on cable news they going to tell you we likely to have to shut down a month from now, does that mean they can go in and close whatever business they want to close a month from now because they have had another scare and so it’s a permanent taking of the property in that sense because a businessman now has to say, ‘ at anytime they may close my business down,” Waide said.

The lawsuit sought unspecified damages and asked for a jury trial. Earlier this month, Waide filed a similar lawsuit against the city of Starkville on behalf of a gym owner.