PINEHURST, Idaho - No one is taking responsibility for a raw sewage mess that's closed a North Idaho restaurant for weeks.
The owners of the Tall Pine Drive-In in Pinehurst said from the start they're not at fault and shouldn't have to pay for repairs for the raw sewage that backed up into their restaurant in November.
Crews were fixing a nearby sewer line when a pipe going into the Tall Pine became blocked, causing raw sewage to flow back into the burger shop.
"It wasn't our fault. Let them battle each other. But let us get open," said Tall Pine manager Teresa Banks.
The restaurant owners have filed a lawsuit against the sewer district and the contractor it hired to do the work.
On Wednesday a spokesman for the South Fork Coeur d'Alene River Sewer District declined comment, citing the lawsuit.
KREM 2 News also contacted the district's insurance provider, the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program (ICRMP), which is an insurance program designed specifically for local Idaho governments, like counties and cities.
ICRMP's executive director Rick Ferguson said they usually pay if it's directly the fault of the sewer district, but in this case, a contractor was hired and its employees were the only ones on scene making the repairs.
Ferguson cited a "difference of opinion on whose responsibility it is," adding that the contractor has not been responsive to their requests.
The contractor is Pipeline Inspection Services based out of Nampa, Idaho.
A company spokesman declined comment on the lawsuit specifically, saying that their insurance company is trying to figure out who is at fault.
The spokesman said Pipeline's employees were performing a "routine" job and did exactly what they were told to do by the district.
None of the parties involved offered any immediate relief for the Tall Pine restaurant, citing the lawsuit.
