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PRESS RELEASE - Defending Disabled Veterans
Disabled veterans and taxpayers were sacrificed as local government abandoned the rule of law, plaintiffs say. A federal civil-rights suit names St. Louis County and Beatty Township.
The project page is Veteran Camping Project.
Rough-N-It Inc., disabled veterans, and landowner Christine Wyrobek filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit alleging that St. Louis County and Beatty Township officials used zoning, environmental review, and enforcement powers to shut down a lawful nonprofit camping program for disabled veterans.
The suit alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Constitution, and Minnesota law, and describes a multi-year campaign of obstruction, retaliation, and intimidation by county and township staff, planning officials, and elected leaders.
Wyrobek is quoted: “This case was never about zoning. It was about power. Disabled veterans were sacrificed to protect personal agendas and institutional pride. When lawful process didn’t produce the outcome officials wanted, they abandoned the law.”
What officials did
Rough-N-It is described as a nonprofit created to provide free, ordinance-compliant camping and outdoor therapy for disabled veterans, aimed at people who cannot pay for traditional camps or resorts.
The complaint alleges that county and township officials:
- Ignored the veterans-focused mission in official reports.
- Claimed the program provided “no public benefit.”
- Relied on disability-based stereotypes to oppose the project.
- Imposed an environmental review the plaintiffs call illegal, driving up costs and losing time.
- Issued years of “potential violation” threats without a single citation.
- Kept a public story that portrayed the plaintiffs as violators.
That despite those allegations, the county admitted it never found a single enforceable violation.
Separation of powers and cost
The suit alleges a collapse of separated roles in St. Louis County: planning staff, the Planning Commission, the County Board, and the County Attorney acted as one self-protective unit; independent judgment gave way to “rubber-stamping”; officials admitted on the record they acted “as a group”; and a “pre-crime” resolution authorized lawsuits against Wyrobek for hypothetical future conduct.
Wyrobek is quoted: “When no branch of government is willing to check another, citizens lose their rights. That’s what happened here.”
Unlawful procedures, reviews it calls shams, and bad-faith mediation cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, burdening the nonprofit and taxpayers and delaying services to veterans. Board members, including healthcare professionals, resigned after enforcement threats created fear of professional consequences.
Why they filed, and what they ask
The plaintiffs were forced to file after other avenues failed. Wyrobek is quoted: “We didn’t choose litigation. We were driven to it. Under Minnesota law, there was no way to stop the harassment or obtain judicial review unless the County acted. Instead of issuing a citation, they escalated to extraordinary measures to avoid court oversight.”
The suit asks the federal court to:
- Declare the county and township actions unlawful.
- Restore lawful use of the property for disabled veterans.
- Enjoin unconstitutional enforcement practices.
- Award damages for harm to veterans, taxpayers, and constitutional rights.
Wyrobek is quoted: “The true victims here are disabled veterans who lost access to free therapeutic recreation, and taxpayers who paid for a broken system defending itself instead of serving the public.”
Erick Kaardal is the plaintiffs’ attorney.
A gift is a donation to Five Stones Legal Defense Fund. Publishing a post does not create an attorney-client relationship, and no legal outcome is guaranteed.