Maskless Bachelorette Partygoer Who Coughed on Restaurant Employee Three Times Faces Lawsuit

A Tennessee restaurant plans to press charges against a woman who allegedly coughed three times intentionally on an employee while participating in a bachelorette party and refusing to wear a face mask.

Police are investigating the Saturday night incident, which occurred at the Mockingbird restaurant in Nashville, The Charlotte Observer reported. Ten guests were attending the bachelorette party. They left the establishment upset after they were told that staff could not put two tables together, as this would violate coronavirus social distancing requirements.

In a Facebook group post, Mikey Corona, co-owner of the Mockingbird, explained that the group of 10 women "came in to our restaurant and threw a fit because we couldn't sit them at one long continuous table due to phase 2 restrictions (no more than 6 guests per table)."

"They even began to defy the rules and pull the tables together themselves. After we told them we can be reported for violating this condition of Nashville's Phase 2, they got up and stormed out—most not wearing a mask as they left (and even arguing with other tables as they even were telling them to put their masks on), but before they left one of them that refused to wear their mask on the way out turned her head and coughed a few times on one of our team members," he wrote.

Newsweek reached out to the Mockingbird for further comment, but the restaurant did not respond in time for publication.

Speaking to local ABC affiliate WKRN-TV, Corona said that his restaurant would press charges against the woman, who he said coughed three times on his employee.

"I never thought that would happen here in Nashville. I never thought that, let alone in our establishment," he told the television station, noting that the employee who was coughed on was an assistant manager.

"It was intentional, it was malice, it was not done in any sort of accidental way. We knew exactly what that meant," he said.

Corona pointed out that the assistant manager was now unable to work, as she was in quarantine and would need to be tested for the virus.

"As a business, we are having to pay for her not to be here, as well, and so it's just a struggle all around and it's not necessary," he said. "You know, we are all about fun in this town, but when you come in with your bedazzled cowboy boots and you stomp on us like we are a mat, that's not OK. That's where you have to draw the line, because we are also human and you should respect that first and foremost."

Tennessee has seen a surge in new virus infections and deaths over the past couple of weeks. The seven-day average of new cases stands at above 1,900 per day, while the state is averaging 16 deaths per day, according to a New York Times tracker. Overall, Tennessee has reported more than 109,000 infections and over 1,100 deaths.