The Meadowmoor Lounge and Supper Club was usually described as being located one mile north of Soderville on Highway 65.  Its address was 18803 Highway 65 NE, East Bethel in Anoka County.

Ads for staff began in July 1966.

In May 1967 the manager was Arnold Neitzel.

Gary Brunotte wrote to say that his band the Three Shadows opened the club in 1967.

 

 

 

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The lineup in June 1969 was:

• Wayne Reinhart & the New Custom Five
• Don Phillips Band
• Gene Fournier Band
• Tony Jambor Orchestra
• Polka Debonaires
• Dave Lory, country western impersonator

 

In February 1970, the Meadowmoor was the site of snowmobile auctions, with WCCO’s Chuck Lilligren as auctioneer.

 

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DRAM SHOP LAWSUIT

It appears that the following lawsuit may have spelled the end of the Meadowmoor.  When someone who has been drinking at a bar becomes too intoxicated to drive, and then harms another while driving drunk, the bar becomes responsible.  The Meadowmoor was insured by Lloyd’s of London.  This case was about liability in such an accident.  The language below is quoted from Mattson v. Underwriters at Lloyd’s of London 385 N.W.2d 854 (1986)

On April 1, 1973, Glenn D. Mattson was seriously injured when the car he was driving was struck by Glen V. Johnson’s car. Johnson was driving while intoxicated. He had been drinking for several hours at the Meadowmoor Supper Club.

Meadowmoor was owned and operated by the Car-Del Corporation at the time of the accident. Lloyds carried the dram shop insurance for Car-Del.

Mattson brought suit against Car-Del and Johnson on January 1, 1976. He sought damages on behalf of himself, his wife, and their minor children. In the lawsuit Mattson claimed that Johnson was negligent. Mattson also claimed that the employees at the Meadowmoor Supper Club had served liquor to Johnson while he was obviously intoxicated in violation of Minnesota’s Dram Shop laws.

Car-Del voluntarily dissolved by filing a certificate of voluntary dissolution on July 29, 1976. Car-Del had previously filed a notice of claim against Lloyds.

[In March 1977 the club was advertised for sale.]

Johnson’s insurer paid Mattson his $10,000 policy limit soon after the lawsuit was commenced.

On several occasions Mattsons attempted to settle their claim against Car-Del for what Lloyds claimed were the policy limits of $100,000. Lloyds refused to accept and offered $40,000 instead. No settlement was reached.

Lloyds defended Car-Del at trial. A jury found that Johnson was negligent, that Meadowmoor Supper Club violated the dram shop laws and that Mattson was not negligent. A judgment of $256,562.65 was entered against Car-Del on July 6, 1977.  Lloyds paid Mattsons $100,000 but denied responsibility for the excess judgment.

Over three years after the corporation was dissolved, on September 15, 1979, Car-Del’s former trustee, William P. Germann, attempted to assign to Mattsons a claim against Lloyds for its bad faith refusal to settle within the policy limits. Germann purported to act on behalf of the corporation. He assigned the claim in exchange for Mattsons’ agreement to refrain from enforcing their excess judgment against Car-Del.

Mattsons sued Lloyds under the purported assignment for the difference between the Anoka County judgment and the amount paid by Lloyds. Lloyds argued the assignment was invalid because it was not made until after the three year statutory period for winding up corporate affairs had expired.

In 1986, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided that Car-Del’s purported assignment of its bad faith claim was invalid because it was made after the three year limitation period ran. Mattsons’ claim for attorney fees was properly denied.

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In 2020, the building was being used as an antique shop, but was about to be demolished.  Here is a photo from Google Maps:

 

Thanks to the folks at Another Man’s Treasure, and to Mary Rinehart Erickson on Facebook!