California restaurants want state and county officials to refund more than $100 million in fees for liquor and health permits and tourism assessments that they say were charged while their businesses were shut down or partially closed because of coronavirus rules.
Claims filed say governments, in what was described as “a cruel twist,” forced restaurants to close because of the virus but continued to collect fees.
The establishments say they were threatened with permanent closure if they didn't pay up.
A government claim is an initial step before filing a class-action lawsuit. California officials have 45 days to respond to the claims.
