Owner of Minneapolis gay bar sues trash hauling company after building fire

The owner of a well-known Minneapolis LGBTQ bar is suing a trash hauling company for $2.8 million, alleging it caused the building to catch on fire in March.

When a Lakeshore Recycling Systems garbage truck backed into and struck a telephone pole on March 23, it fell on top of the 19 Bar in Loring Park, ignited the building's gas line, and caught fire.

Gary Lee Hallberg, 19 Bar’s owner, filed a lawsuit against the trash hauling company in Hennepin County District Court on Monday.

According to the suit, he entered a contract to sell the bar and its assets one week before the incident, and the sale was set to close on April 15. The property's market value was $2.8 million, and it was set to be sold to the bar’s longtime manager for $1.4 million.

The fire destroyed the building, leading to the cancellation of the sale and the loss of multiple staff members' jobs.

Reconstruction is underway at the bar, with plans to reopen sometime this year. Multiple gay bars around the Twin Cities, such as The Saloon , Eagle MPLS , and others, have rallied together to organize events to help fund the rebuilding and displaced employees.

The bar requests more than $2.8 million in damages for the loss of the property's assets and market value, moving expenses, labor costs, lost investment, and legal fees.

The suit claims the trash company failed to uphold its duty of care to drive defensively and avoid causing property damage.

The complaint further states: "To date, despite demand, LRS has failed and refused to compensate plaintiffs for their damages as a result of the fire.”

LRS has 21 days to respond to the lawsuit before it automatically loses the case. Bring Me The News has reached out to LRS, but it has yet to reply with a comment.

Related: Longtime Minneapolis gay bar damaged in fire, closed until further notice