5/25/2023: Appeal in Jeopardy!

So, Livingston Parish Clerk of Court came back with an Estimated Costs of Appeal as 4 times the amount my attorney estimated for this case. These costs are for the Livingston Clerk of Court to prepare the record for the Court of Appeal in the First Circuit. My attorney estimated about $1,000 for this fee initially, since there was not a lot of pages of deposition. However, the Clerk of Court is saying there is much more in the case that needs to be prepared for the appeal case. So, they normally mail notice to the attorney, but my attorney never received it, (and no, they don't used certified mail for these notices, I asked.) Now we're being told that if the Livingston Parish Clerk of Court does not receive $4,965.50 by Tuesday before 9am, then our case will be dismissed. The previous fundraising allowed us to pay off our previous legal fees bill from the first case and we also still have $2,700 left in our legal funds account towards what we thought was going to be a much lower bill.

Bottom line, we need $2,265.50 ($4,965.50 bill - $2,700 already in legal funds acct = $2,265.50) to be raised and I have to pay that to the Livingston Parish Clerk of Court by Tuesday morning EARLY or the appeal case will be dismissed by 9am!! Yes, this is an Estimated Cost of Appeal and they could come back for more, but this is what is necessary at this point to keep the case alive. Please pass the word!

2/11/2023: In a nutshell, the governor's lawyer(s) filed for "qualified immunity" normally reserved for police officers in a typical course of their daily activities to protect them on making decisions with the best information they had at the time. Unfortunately, our Judge Abels decided to rule that qualified immunity applies to the Louisiana Department of Health and the governor in these actions, even though the Attorney General made a public, written statement in advance at the unconstitutionality of the mask mandate and the governor had plenty of time to review his actions prior to each step of the path he took in dealing with my restaurant. These actions were neither last-minute decisions nor were they in the course of their normal daily duties. Since we are trying to set a precedent to prevent this from happening to the citizens again the next time a flu season comes around or a storm (in which the government can invoke the Emergency Powers Act), we need to appeal this decision to the next level of courts. This fight is not about keeping my restaurant open anymore. We have successfully done that. It is now about protecting the future of every citizen of Louisiana by getting a precedent set holding the government responsible for their excessive and aggressive actions during these times. It is now a fight for every Louisianian, and we need your support. Going to a higher court is estimated to cost about $60,000. ($5,361 was raised prior to our need to appeal, so the goal has been established to show how close we are to reaching the appeal funding needed.) I am willing to do what needs to be done and positioned best to champion this for the citizens, but I cannot fund this appeal. If you are not from or living in Louisiana and think that you don't have a dog in this fight, that's not necessarily true. Court victories in one state on protection of freedoms typically give groundwork and a foothold to help the next case in another area with their battle. Since the entire US, let alone the WORLD, had to struggle with the effects of COVID, then our success here could likely help others win in their state.  Now is the time and this is the method in which to stand and say no more! We thank you for being a fellow patriot!

Update: Since the mask mandate is over and the governor's and the Louisiana Department of Health's case against our store has been dismissed and our permit reinstated, this account now serves as a collection for legal funds to pursue our countersuit against the overreach these departments of Louisiana's government had done in the lives of Louisiana citizens as well as damages.  Our business has been placed by God in a unique position to help set a legal precedent to address the invasion of the government's actions that disregarded our constitutional rights provided by Louisiana and the US. This is the most critical part of our stand and it must be addressed for all citizens. This is where the rubber meets the road. Our trial dates will be determined in July, but we are preparing and praying for God's guidance against this Goliath. Thank you for your support and encouragement! It means everything to us. With Love From God's Servant, Danielle

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This account was set up in response to the multiple requests to have a way to donate online to the legal defense fund for Firehouse BBQ (God's Table, LLC) in their fight against the mandate by Louisiana Governor John Bell Edwards to force businesses to eject employees or patrons from the store who do not follow the mandate. Firehouse BBQ has multiple employees that suffer medically from wearing the masks at work and to mandate the masks on customers presents too much of an opportunity for liability upon businesses. Therefore,  the Department of Health has decided to suspend my permit due to the mask mandate alone, and we are fighting to stay open, since our health inspection passed and the attempt to close our restaurant is based solely on a mandate that our Attorney General even described as unconstitutional.