I could have seen this one coming. Every time I walked past the "Zaina hookah bar" I scratched my head and wondered why I was seeing a hookah bar when smoking is illegal in bars in Washington. Apparently the owners didn't fear the no-smoking law.
Eventually a lawsuit was filed last week after several complaints from the public and warnings had failed to halt the smoking. The lawsuit asks to fine Zaina $100 a day until they comply with the law, which prohibits smoking and requires placement of signs advising customers of the ban.
"If I lose the hookah business, I'm out. I'm broke," says Shaher Abuelkhair, owner of Zaina. "I have kids. I have a mortgage. I have a lease. I can't just stop."
It's too bad, I feel for the guy, but the law is the law. He was pretty much asking for trouble don't you think?
