Star Tribune
Couples sue wedding venue operator that abruptly closed but kept deposits
At least five couples have filed civil lawsuits against the owners of an Isanti wedding venue that abruptly shut down last month and has failed to return their deposits.
The suits filed over the past three weeks in Washington County District Court name Circle B Weddings and Events and its proprietors Angela and Wayne Butt as defendants and seek reimbursements ranging from $5,600 to more than $9,000.
All five couples had reserved Circle B for upcoming weddings and had put down deposits or paid in full in accordance with rental agreements that required all fees be paid at least 180 days prior to their event, the suits said.
But on April 21, the couples received an email from Circle B stating the venue had permanently closed and made no mention of returning any of the money collected.
“This news will not only be disheartening to many of you and your families, but for many of you this will [sic] been devastating for your plans, for that we are truly sorry,” the email message read.
The email also said there was nobody to take calls or emails. The venue’s website and social media accounts have been disabled.
In one case, a couple who has not yet filed a suit was alerted about the closure just two weeks before they had planned to tie the knot at Circle B. With nowhere to go, bride-to-be Katelyn Stalboerger took to social media with tears and pleas for help. Another venue stepped in to save the day, and her May 4 wedding to Isaac Nelson went on as planned.
But others, such as Maggie Malecha and Jacob Witt, have been left in the lurch and are out $8,500. The couple-to-be from New Prague have their nuptials planned for Aug. 24, but have been forced to look for an alternative venue, their suit said.
“We are in the very difficult and stressful process of trying to re-book a new venue and do not yet know what additional costs we will incur due to their abrupt closing and contracts that have been signed with other vendors for that date and location,” part of their suit reads.
Hunter Smith and Mia Sabin are seeking to get back the $8,000 they put down to reserve Circle B for their planned May 2025 wedding.
“There were no services rendered,” their suit reads.
The Butts, who have a home address in Cottage Grove, are due in conciliation court for a hearing on one of the cases on June 20 with three others to be heard on July 8.
Air raid warnings blared for hours as Russia targeted eight regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, the Ukrainian air force said.
Air defenses downed four missiles and 37 drones, and another 47 drones were stopped by electronic jamming, the statement said. The damage was being assessed.
Meanwhile, most of the more than 10,000 North Korean troops sent by Pyongyang to help Moscow in the war are engaged in combat in Russia’s Kursk border region, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters Tuesday. A Ukrainian army incursion into Kursk three months ago has succeeded in holding a broad area of land and has embarrassed the Kremlin.
Russia’s military has trained the North Korean soldiers in artillery, drone skills and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, Patel said. The cooperation faces challenges, including how to achieve military interoperability and overcoming the language barrier, he said.
Kyiv officials say that Russia has deployed around 50,000 troops to Kursk in a bid to dislodge the Ukrainians.
Russia has in recent months been assembling forces for a counteroffensive in Kursk, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, though the timescale of the operation isn’t known.
Star Tribune
Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump’s classified documents case
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith asked a court Wednesday to pause prosecutors’ appeal seeking to revive the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of the Republican’s presidential victory.
Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the classified documents and the federal 2020 election interference case in Washington before Trump takes office because of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.
The case accusing Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate had been seen as the most legally clear-cut of the four indictments against Trump, given the breadth of evidence that prosecutors say they had accumulated. That included the testimony of close aides and former lawyers, and because the conduct at issue occurred after Trump left the White House in 2021 and lost the powers of the presidency.
But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July, ruling that Smith was illegally appointed by the Justice Department. Smith had appealed her ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals before Trump’s presidential win last week over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Prosecutors asked the 11th Circuit in a court filing Wednesday to pause the appeal to ”afford the Government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.” Smith’s team said it would ”inform the Court of the result of its deliberations” no later than Dec. 2.
The judge overseeing the federal case in Washington accusing Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election canceled all upcoming deadlines in the case last week after Smith’s team made a similar request.
Smith is expected to leave his post before Trump takes office, but special counsels are expected to produce reports on their work that historically are made public, and it remains unclear when such a document might be released.
First, they must live in St. Paul. Then, their incomes must be no more than 400% of current Federal Poverty Guidelines — about $120,000/year for a family of four — or their medical debt must be 5% or more of their annual income. Also, only debt owed to participating providers like hospitals will qualify for the program.
“Health is not only about buildings, hospitals, or clinics — health care is about meeting the needs of patients where they are and doing whatever we can to improve health outcomes and decrease cost,” Fairview Health Services President and CEO James Hereford said in a statement.
Undue Medical Debt CEO and President Allison Sesso also issued a statement, which read, in part: “Medical debt is a psychological burden, in addition to a financial one, that can cause patients to avoid necessary care.”
She added: “Simply having medical debt creates stress which undermines people’s health.”
Officials said national medical debt has reached about $220 billion and affects more than 100 million Americans. About 54% of insured adults carry medical debt, officials said, while 41% of people without insurance face even greater challenges, often delaying necessary care in order to pay for food and housing.
In Minnesota, the Medical Debt Fairness Act that recently went into effect bans medical debt from being reported to credit reporting agencies. It also ensures medical providers cannot withhold medical care despite unpaid debt. St. Paul and Undue Medical Debt officials said they hope to partner with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to explore ways to build on the Debt Fairness Act.
