The Mall of America has dropped a lawsuit it filed in Hennepin County District Court against Black Lives Matter in December. As a result of the suit, a judge had barred three activists, who the mall claimed were leading a demonstration that was planned there, from the property.
Susan Gaertner, the mall's attorney, said Tuesday the suit was dismissed "because the lawsuit served its purpose.
"We believe it had an effect on the events of Dec. 23 in that a protest did not occur on private property at the Mall of America," she said.
Protesters turned out at the mall in large numbers that day, but they left to demonstrate at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport without holding a rally at the mall. The protesters were escorted off mall property by mall security and police. Activists said afterward that was their plan all along and that the airport was to be the protest focus.
Jordan Kushner, the protesters' attorney, said Tuesday he had pressed the mall to dismiss the suit because it dealt with a demonstration long since over.
"I suspect that is probably the reason why they dismissed it," he said. "It has no more relevance."
Gaertner offered "kudos to Black Lives Matter and to the individuals named in the lawsuit for respecting the judge's order and not protesting on private property."
She added that the suit was voluntarily dismissed by the mall without prejudice, "which means that it can be brought again if circumstances change, and if there's a threat of future protests on Mall of American property."
