The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has agreed to drop its lawsuit against five Flathead County businesses and cover the defendants’ legal fees at a cost of more than $94,000, nearly five months after the businesses were accused of ignoring a statewide mask mandate imposed by former Gov. Steve Bullock.
The five businesses — Sykes Diner and Mercantile, Scotty’s Bar and Casino, Remington Bar and Casino, Ferndale Market, and Your Lucky Turn Casino — won a legal victory on Nov. 12 when Judge Dan Wilson denied DPHHS the temporary injunctions it was seeking, ruling the plaintiffs had failed to prove the defendants were not making a “reasonable effort” to force customers and employees to wear masks.