Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is calling for the release of a Dallas salon owner who was jailed for not complying with a restraining order to shutter her business.
“As I have made clear through prior pronouncements, jailing Texans for non-compliance with executive orders should always be the last available option,” Abbott said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
The statement continued, “Compliance with executive orders during this pandemic is important to ensure public safety; however, surely there are less restrictive means to achieving that goal than jailing a Texas mother.”
Read the statement below:
See the statements from @TXAG and me on the jailing of Dallas Salon Owner Shelley Luther. pic.twitter.com/wyOOllGXgj
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 6, 2020
Abbott’s statement comes a day after Dallas Judge Eric Moyé found Salon À la Mode owner Shelley Luther in contempt of court — civil and criminal — for refusing to comply with a restraining order to shutter her business in late-April.
Moyé also sentenced Luther to seven days in jail and ordered that she pay a $500 fine for each day Luther’s salon was open despite the restraining order. Moyé wrote, “The defiance of the Court’s Order was open, flagrant and intentional.”
He added, “The Defendants, although having been given an opportunity to do so, have expressed no contrition, remorse or regret for their contemptuous action.”
Despite a stay at home order, Luther reopened her salon in late-April. On April 24, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins sent Luther a cease and desist order to Luther ordering that she shut down her salon.
On April 28, Luther was sent a restraining order after she refused to comply with Jenkins’ cease and desist letter.
During her hearing on Tuesday, Moyé told Luther he would consider only giving a fine if she agreed to apologize and admit to being “selfish.”
“If you would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge that your own actions were selfish, putting your own interest ahead of those in the community in which you live,” he said.
“I have much respect for this court and laws. I have never been in this position before, and it’s not someplace that I want to be,” Luther said, adding, “But I have to disagree with you sir, when you say that I’m selfish because feeding my kids — is not selfish. I have hair stylists that are going hungry because they’d rather feed their kids.”
She continued, “So sir, if you think the law is more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision, but I am not going to shut the salon.”
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) tweeted on Wednesday evening that he would pay the fine for Luther.
7 days in jail, no bail and a $7K fine is outrageous. No surprise Texans are responding. I’m covering the $7K fine she had to pay and I volunteer to be placed under House Arrest so she can go to work and feed her kids. #txlege #TexansHelpingTexans https://t.co/gdtMLAHFV5
— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) May 6, 2020
“7 days in jail, no bail and a $7K fine is outrageous. No surprise Texans are responding,” Patrick said in a tweet. “7 days in jail, no bail and a $7K fine is outrageous. No surprise Texans are responding.”
