OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Attorney General Doug Peterson announced Wednesday that the State of Nebraska plans to dismiss its lawsuit against Douglas County Health Director Dr. Lindsay Huse.
The State of Nebraska sued Huse after she imposed a mask mandate in January.
RELATED: Omaha City Council passes ordinance to restrict health director's powers during a pandemic
This decision to dismiss the lawsuit comes after an ordinance was passed in Omaha City Council Tuesday allowing the Douglas County Health Director authority in a public health crisis, but the mayor and council will ultimately get the final say.
The ordinance also demands that the health director reach out to professionals to help make hard decisions.
Peterson plans to dismiss the lawsuit once the ordinance is approved by Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and takes effect.
See Peterson’s full statement below.
A key concern of the Office of the Attorney General has been that the prior structure created by the City of Omaha for emergency infectious disease management improperly placed exclusive authority in one person, the County Health Director. This structure was lacking both accountability to the citizens and compliance with Nebraska statutes.
The changes made yesterday by the Omaha City Council take away exclusive authority from the County Health Director and place final authority for issuing emergency health policies, such as mask mandates, in the hands of the Mayor and the Omaha City Council, creating accountability to the citizens of Omaha.
In light of these changes, we plan to dismiss our lawsuit once the ordinance is approved by the Mayor and it takes effect,” stated Attorney General Peterson.
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