New Jersey Guv Phil Murphy sued by movie theatre chains over coronavirus closure

Movie theatre chains in New Jersey have sued Governor Phil Murphy for not allowing them to resume operations amid coronavirus crisis when churches, retail stores, and shopping malls have been allowed to reopen in the state. According to reports, six movie theatre chains, including AMC Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, BJK Entertainment, Bow Tie Cinemas, and Cinemark filed a lawsuit on July 6 in a federal court in Trenton against Governor Philip Murphy and Acting Commissioner of Health of New Jersey Judith Persichilli. 

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The movie theatre chains led by the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) has challenged the alleged unconstitutional and unlawful distinctions of Governor Murphy and Health Commissioner Persichilli in allowing certain places of public assembly to reopen while requiring movie theatres to remain closed. The theatre chains have accused Murphy of allowing various sectors of the New Jersey economy to reopen following his March 16 Executive Order, which closed 'non-essential' businesses, including movie theatres, in response to the COVID-19 virus. 

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'Violation of First Amendment rights'

"COVID-19 represents a serious public health risk, and Plaintiffs support fair and reasonable actions by the government to address that risk. However, the government-mandated total closure of movie theatres is neither fair nor reasonable, and is instead a violation of Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, Equal Protection of the laws, Due Process under the law, and is a Taking of property without just compensation," the summary of the complaint read.

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New Jersey is the second most badly affected region in the United States, which itself is the worst-affected country in the world. New York is the worst-hit region with over 32,000 deaths. According to figures by Johns Hopkins University, New Jersey has recorded 15,281 deaths to date, while over 30,700 people have recovered so far. The United States has logged in over 1,31,000 deaths and more than 2.9 million confirmed COVID-19 cases as of July 7. Meanwhile, the world has reported 11.8 million infections and at least 5,44,414 deaths. 

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