Case docket
Greer's Ranch Cafe v. Guzman — N.D. Tex., Fort Worth, No. 4:21-cv-00651-O
Greer's Ranch Cafe v. Guzman (SBA) — 4 court filings in the archive, mostly from U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, filed between May 13, 2021 and May 19, 2021. Among them: 1 complaint, 1 order and 1 notice.
Case facts
| Court | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division (2 filings); UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT (1 filing) |
|---|---|
| Filings | 4 public filings |
| Filed | 2021-05-13 – 2021-05-19 |
| Document types | complaint (1), order (1), notice (1) |
| Original PDFs | 4 of 4 |
Case summary
Greer's Ranch Cafe and its owner Philip Greer filed this class-action complaint on May 13, 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, No. 4:21-cv-00651-O, against Isabella Casillas Guzman in her official capacity as administrator of the Small Business Administration and against the SBA. It challenged the twenty-one-day priority period in section 5003 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants to businesses owned and controlled by women, veterans and the socially and economically disadvantaged. On May 18, 2021 the court granted a temporary restraining order, directed the plaintiffs to file their RRF application by May 19 and enjoined the defendants to process and consider it as of May 13, 2021. The plaintiffs dismissed the action under Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(i) on May 19, 2021.
Case at a glance
| Parties | Plaintiffs: Greer's Ranch Cafe and Philip Greer, on behalf of themselves and a proposed Rule 23(b)(2) class. Defendants: Isabella Casillas Guzman, in her official capacity as administrator of the Small Business Administration, and the United States Small Business Administration |
|---|---|
| Court and docket | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, No. 4:21-cv-00651-O (Judge Reed O'Connor) |
| Program | Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), created by section 5003 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and administered by the SBA; the order records an appropriation of $28.6 billion |
| Claims | That the Constitution and Title VI do not allow the SBA to discriminate on account of race and sex in administering the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The complaint sought certification of a class of all restaurant owners and restaurants encountering or who will encounter race or sex discrimination from the SBA on account of section 5003, declaratory relief, a temporary restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunctions against implementing race or sex preferences in SBA programs, and costs and attorney fees |
| Disposition or status | Temporary restraining order granted May 18, 2021; action dismissed without prejudice on the plaintiffs' own Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(i) notice of May 19, 2021, each party to bear its own costs and fees. The preliminary-injunction hearing the order set for May 24, 2021 is not recorded on this page |
| Status checked | 2026-09-23 · against DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22; court docket not yet read |
What did the court decide?
On May 18, 2021 the court granted the plaintiffs' motion for a temporary restraining order, holding they had met their burden on each of the four elements under Rule 65. It directed the plaintiffs to file their RRF grant application by 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2021 and enjoined the administrator, the SBA and those acting with them to process and consider that application as of May 13, 2021, the date the complaint was filed.
What did the complaint allege?
That Philip Greer owns and operates Greer's Ranch Cafe, is eligible for an RRF grant, and was barred from consideration during the program's first twenty-one days, from May 3 to May 24, 2021, because ARPA directed the SBA to prioritise restaurants owned and controlled by women, by veterans and by those socially and economically disadvantaged. The order records the plaintiffs' declaration that the restaurant lost nearly $100,000 in gross revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How did the case end?
The plaintiffs filed a notice of dismissal under Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(i) on May 19, 2021, dismissing the action without prejudice with each party bearing its own costs and fees. The page also carries the government's May 18, 2021 response opposing the temporary restraining order.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
4 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
- Class action complaint — Greer's Ranch Cafe v. Guzman (SBA) — Greer's Ranch Cafe v. Guzman (SBA) (N.D. Tex.)Complaint · PDF
- Government response to TRO motion — Greer's Ranch Cafe v. Guzman (SBA) — Greer's Ranch Cafe v. Guzman (SBA) (N.D. Tex.)PDF
- Order granting TRO — Greer's Ranch Cafe et al. v. Guzman (SBA) — Greer's Ranch Cafe v. Guzman (SBA) (N.D. Tex.)Order · PDF
- Notice — Greer's Ranch Cafe v. Guzman (SBA) (N.D. Tex.)Notice · PDF
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.