A pair of Wisconsin wedding barns sued the state today, according to the Associated Press, seeking to block enactment of a new law that requires them to get liquor licenses similar to other establishments that host events.
Farmview Event Barn, located in Berlin, and Monarch Valley Wedding & Events, in Blair, filed the lawsuit in Trempealeau County Circuit Court against the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. The lawsuit alleges that the law violates equal protection guarantees and the right to earn a living under the Wisconsin Constitution by imposing an illegal, non-uniform tax.
The lawsuit also argues that the law allows for exemptions that are unconstitutionally arbitrary and nonsensical. Exempt properties include those owned by municipalities, schools, churches and clubs, and venues located in a professional stadium district, including parking lots around Lambeau Field in Green Bay and American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Neither of the wedding barns that filed that lawsuit has a liquor license. They also don’t sell or provide alcohol, but both allow for those who rent the facility and their guests to bring alcohol and consume it on site.
