Tulsa attorneys file lawsuit over worries Trump rally will be 'super-spreader event'

LAWSUIT UPDATE: A judge denied the emergency motion against the BOK Center. No ruling may come before the rally on Saturday.

---

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) – Tulsa attorneys Clark Brewster and Paul DeMuro filed a lawsuit Tuesday afternoon to compel the BOK Center’s operator to use coronavirus safety measures for Saturday’s rally with President Donald Trump.

They said they worry about the large rally becoming a "super-spreader event" and want venue management company ASM Global to mandate the use of face masks and social distancing rules for all rally attendees and for the people working at the BOK Center that day.

They said this isn’t about trying to get the president’s rally canceled, but it’s an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

RELATED STORY | President Trump claims double standard when criticized about hosting large rally

The Tulsa Health Department has reported a spike in COVID-19 cases, with a single-day high of 89 new infections reported just this week.

Brewster has a history with Trump. He’s a trial lawyer and represented adult-film star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against the president. Daniels said in an interview with CBS News that she was threatened to stay quiet about an affair she had with Trump in 2006.

The BOK Center released this statement Tuesday evening:

BOK Center is operated on behalf of its owner, the City of Tulsa, and the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority, in accordance with applicable rules, regulations and protocols. The Oklahoma “Open Up and Recover Safely” (OURS) guidelines, under which entertainment venues reopened as of May 1, 2020, indicate that business owners or local officials should determine event configurations. Government officials have advised that the campaign rally as planned is consistent with the guidance for the OURS plan for entertainment venues, however, in the event that the governing authorities impose new restrictions, we will notify the event organizers immediately.

Brewster says they requested an expedited hearing for Thursday, but that has been denied. The lawsuit is still pending, and no hearing date has been set.

NOTE: This story was corrected. We previously reported that the lawsuit was intended to stop the president’s rally.