Minocqua Brewing Company. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU) — An arrest warrant was proposed for Minocqua Brewing Company founder Kirk Bangstad in connection with a civil case that dates back to 2021, though the judge in the case did not sign off on the paperwork.
The Democratic activist was found to be in contempt after he failed to appear in Rhinelander for a hearing on Wednesday. The hearing was tied to a defamation case in which Bangstad was found guilty of making false comments against Lakeland Times Publisher Gregg Walker’s family.
In a Facebook post, Bangstad says he “didn’t know that the deposition and the deadline for those documents were all supposed to occur last Wednesday,” and was working at the MBC location in Madison when he got the call from his lawyer.
He offered to make an appearance via Zoom but that request was denied.
Bangstad was ordered to pay Walker nearly $760,000. The Minocqua Brewing Company was also named in the suit and was ordered to pay an additional $329,000. Court records show neither debt has been satisfied as the case works its way through the appeals process.
Editor’s note: an arrest warrant was never formally issued for Bangstad because the judge did not sign off on the paperwork- meaning he is not wanted for arrest. The case is scheduled for two days of motion hearings on May 22nd and 23rd. A previous version of this story showed a warrant was authorized, which is the language used on CCAP.
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