Tony Rupp spoke with Anderson Cooper on August 18th 2020 regarding representing a New York couple over their right to hold a 175 person wedding during the pandemic given the current restaurant guidelines.
“Why is New York saying you can’t hold a wedding, when the venue itself and all of the attendees at the wedding have agreed to abide by the restaurant protocols?”
Tony Rupp and his Civil Rights team secured an order in federal court enjoining enforcement of the 50-person limit on weddings. Our wedding couples seek to host a wedding and reception at Arrowhead Golf Club venues The Sterling and The Timberlodge. When these venues operate as a restaurant, New York State allows and even encourages the venue to host patrons up to 50% of the venue’s capacity. However, when our wedding couples seek to host family and friends for a dinner at these venues for the purpose of celebrating a wedding, New York State forbids them from allowing more than 50 people to attend; despite the same COVID-safety guidelines being in place for ordinary restaurant dining. When speaking with CNN Tony Rupp described why these guidelines make no sense and why his clients chose to sue the state of New York.