The owner of RC Outfitters in Peoria is suing Gov. J.B. Pritzker over his extended stay at home order.
Adam White said the restrictions on nonessential businesses are causing irreparable harm to his business.
RC Outfitters, a sports and recreation retailer on Water Street, reopened Monday. White said the goal of the lawsuit is to avoid legal recourse for that decision.
“My intention is to be able to have the ability to operate my business free and clear, not looking over my shoulder,” he said. “I’m not speaking for another small business. I’m not speaking for Peoria County as a whole. And I sure as heck ain’t speaking for 102 counties in the state of Illinois, I’m speaking for RC Outfitters.”
Even after reopening, White said, his business is still hurting. He said the first few days of sales were “normal” for this time of year, but he said that’s an artificial inflation based on people’s desire to support local businesses during the pandemic.
“I forecasted that our business would be down 50% plus from what it should be for the next 90 to 120 days,” he said. “But the difference between that loss in revenue [compared to] what the alternative would be is the only prayer we have to survive.”
White appeared in Peoria County Court Thursday morning seeking a temporary restraining order. It's not yet clear whether the lawsuit will be handled locally or moved to Springfield at the request of the defense.
During his daily press briefing Thursday, Pritzker said everybody has the right to take an issue to court, but his goal is to keep people healthy and safe. He discouraged patrons from shopping at RC Outfitters and encouraged local law enforcement to step in.
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