Along Came Trudy LLC v. OLCC

Court of Appeals of Oregon·Decided January 24, 2024·No. A178679·Published

Opinion

No. 38 January 24, 2024 295

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF OREGON

ALONG CAME TRUDY LLC,

dba Along Came Trudy,

Petitioner,

v.

OREGON LIQUOR AND CANNABIS COMMISSION, Respondent.

Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission OLCC21V003; A178679

Argued and submitted December 5, 2023. Joseph O. Huddleston argued the cause for petitioner. Also on the briefs were Kevin L. Mannix and Kevin L. Mannix, P.C.

Inge D. Wells, Assistant Attorney General, argued the cause for respondent. Also on the brief were Ellen F. Rosenblum, Attorney General, and Benjamin Gutman, Solicitor General.

Before Tookey, Presiding Judge, and Egan, Judge, and Kamins, Judge.

KAMINS, J. Affirmed.

296 Along Came Trudy LLC v. OLCC

Cite as 330 Or App 295 (2024) 297

KAMINS, J. This is a petition for judicial review of an order of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC). Petitioner, doing business as a restaurant and event venue in Lane County, Oregon, challenges the OLCC’s cancellation of its liquor license as a sanction for three violations of OAR 845-006-0345(15), an administrative rule of the OLCC prohibiting a licensee from violating “an order issued by the Governor.” The OLCC charged petitioner with violations of Governor Kate Brown’s Executive Order 20-66 (EO 20-66) by permitting indoor dining at its restaurant during a time when indoor restaurant dining was prohibited in Lane County as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Petitioner does not dispute that it violated EO-26 but contends that the OLCC erroneously relied on EO-26’s incorporation of a “guidance” of the Oregon Health Authority that petitioner contends was legally invalid and enforced in violation of the Oregon Constitution. The petition presents questions of statutory and constitutional construction that we review under ORS 183.482(8)(a) to determine whether the OLCC “erroneously interpreted a provision of law.” We conclude that the OLCC did not err and therefore affirm.

STATUTORY CONTEXT

ORS chapter 401 contains the statutory provisions governing emergencies.1 As relevant here, ORS 401.165(1) (2009)2 provided that the Governor “may declare a state of emergency by proclamation * * * after determining that an emergency has occurred or is imminent.” ORS 401.025(1). A state of emergency declared by the Governor continues until it is terminated either by the Governor or the Legislative Assembly. ORS 401.204(1) (providing that “[t]he Governor shall terminate the state of emergency by proclamation when the emergency no longer exists, or when the threat of an emergency has passed”); ORS 401.204(2) (providing that 1 An “emergency,” as defined in ORS 401.025(1), is “a human created or natural event or circumstance that causes or threatens widespread loss of life, injury to person or property, human suffering or financial loss, including but not limited to * * * disease.”

2 All further references are to the 2009 version of the statute, which was in effect at the relevant time. The statute was amended in 2021, Or Laws 2021 ch 539, § 33, but the amendments do not bear on the issues presented.

298 Along Came Trudy LLC v. OLCC

the state of emergency “may be terminated at any time by a joint resolution of the Legislative Assembly”).

The Governor has wide-ranging statutory authority during a declared state of emergency. That includes “complete authority over all executive agencies of state government and the right to exercise, within the area designated in the proclamation, all police powers vested in the state by the Oregon Constitution in order to effectuate the purposes of this chapter,” ORS 401.168(1), as well as the power to “[r]equire the aid and assistance of any state or other public or quasi-public agencies in the performance of duties and work attendant upon the emergency conditions in such area.” ORS 401.175(5). Additionally, ORS 433.441(4), provides:

“If a state of emergency is declared as authorized under ORS 401.165, the Governor may implement any action authorized by ORS 433.441 to 433.452.” The actions authorized by ORS 433.441 to 433.452 include requiring the closure of facilities, regulating goods and services , and controlling or limiting “entry into, exit from, movement within, and the occupancy of premises in any public area subject to or threatened by a public health emergency,” as reasonably necessary to respond to the emergency. ORS 433.441(3)(d).

Thus, after the declaration of a state of emergency, within the limits of statutes and the state and federal constitutions , the Governor has broad authority under ORS 401.165 to 401.236 to take the actions authorized by those statutes “to effectuate the purposes” of ORS chapter 401. ORS 401.168(1).

Most significant to our analysis, ORS 401.192(1)

provides:

“All rules and orders issued under authority conferred by ORS 401.165 to 401.236 shall have the full force and effect of law both during and after the declaration of a state of emergency. All existing laws, ordinances, rules and orders inconsistent with ORS 401.165 to 401.236 shall be inoperative during the period of time and to the extent such inconsistencies exist.”

Cite as 330 Or App 295 (2024) 299

EMERGENCY DECLARATION AND EO 20-66 Pursuant to ORS 401.165(1), on March 8, 2020, the Governor declared a state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the subsequent months, the Governor issued a series of executive orders.

In December 2020, the Governor issued EO 20-66, which included a directive to the OHA to develop guidance for the public, employers, and certain sectors of the economy relating to protective measures tied to the spread of COVID- 19 in the community, identified by various risk levels. 3 EO 20-66 stated that the guidance would be subject to approval by the Governor and would be published on the websites of the Governor and the OHA. The executive order further provided:

3 EO 20-66 provided in part:

“Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to issue guidance for the public, employers, and sectors.

“Throughout this pandemic, Oregon’s response has shifted as conditions on the ground have shifted, and as emerging science and data have given us greater clarity regarding the best ways to manage this pandemic. Maintaining the flexibility to nimbly adjust as conditions and knowledge change is critical to an effective emergency response. Accordingly:

“a. I delegate to OHA the authority to develop and issue, and from time to time revise, binding guidance for the public, for employers, and for particular sectors of the economy, to implement the directives of this Executive Order. OHA guidance may also provide definitions, clarifications, or needed modifications to the directives in this Executive Order, and may identify certain business types, the operation of which is prohibited during this emergency. The Governor will approve OHA guidance before it is issued. Upon approval, the OHA guidance will become part of the directives of this Executive Order and will be published online on Governor Brown’s website * * * and the OHA website * * *.

“b. As described more fully in paragraph 10 of this Executive Order, once approved by the Governor and published, guidance issued to implement this Executive Order is enforceable to the same extent this Executive Order is enforceable.

“c. In order to continue to control the spread and risk from COVID-19 in Oregon, individuals, businesses, and other covered entities are directed to comply with applicable OHA guidance issued under the authority of this Executive Order.

“d. Any guidance previously issued under the authority of Executive Orders 20-27 or 20-65 continues under the authority of this Executive Order unless and until that guidance is rescinded or modified by OHA or the issuing agency.”

(Underlining and boldface in original.)

300 Along Came Trudy LLC v. OLCC

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Along Came Trudy LLC v. OLCC, (Or. Ct. App. 2024).

Along Came Trudy LLC v. OLCC (Along Came Trudy LLC v. OLCC) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

State v. Long
843 P.2d 420 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Davilla
230 P.3d 22 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2010)
Homestyle Direct, LLC v. Department of Human Services
311 P.3d 487 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2013)
Marr v. Fisher
187 P.2d 966 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1947)
State v. Davilla
860 P.2d 894 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1993)
Mooney v. Oregon Health Authority
500 P.3d 79 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2021)
JGB Enterprises, LLC v. OLCC
529 P.3d 262 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2023)
Elkhorn Baptist Church v. Brown
466 P.3d 30 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2020)