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FRANKFORT, Ky. (Lexington Herald-Leader/WYMT) – A staff attorney who works in the state’s executive branch is filing suit against Governor Andy Beshear over his mask mandate in state office buildings.
According to a report from the Lexington Herald-Leader, Dana Simmons, who works for the state’s Public Protection Cabinet, filed the lawsuit on Friday. The lawsuit alleges that Governor Beshear and other defendants illegally imposed the mask mandate “under the guise of ‘policy’” even though the governor’s ability to issue a broader mask mandate has been limited by judicial rulings and actions taken by the legislature.
The mask mandate was put in place required everyone in executive branch buildings and offices, as well as in-state vehicles, to wear a mask in public places or when others are nearby.
“To prevent the spread of the coronavirus; all state employees, customers, and visitors are required to wear a mask or face covering while in public areas (or in the presence of another person) of Executive Branch facilities,” Sherelle Roberts-Pierre, a spokesperson for the Public Protection Cabinet, said in a statement to the Herald-Leader.
Other defendants in the lawsuit include Secretary of the Personnel Cabinet Gerina Weathers, and Secretary of the Public Protection Cabinet Ray Perry.
The defendants had not yet filed a legal reply as of Wednesday and the case is set for a preliminary conference in Covington on Friday.
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