Lawsuits involving the Minocqua Brewing Company have piled up since 2021, covering defamation, zoning, Super PAC spending, a state beer seizure, and a federal suit against ICE. Some are resolved. Several are still active. Below is where each case stands and what has been decided so far.
The Walker Defamation Lawsuit
The largest resolved case was a civil defamation suit brought by Gregg Walker, publisher of the Lakeland Times, and his company Lakeland Printing Co., filed in Oneida County Circuit Court in 2021. Walker sued over social media posts in which Kirk Bangstad called him a “crook” and a “misogynist” and accused him of defrauding family members and failing to help his brother during a fatal hunting accident.1National Review (hosted court document). Plaintiffs’ Brief in Support of Motion for Contempt, Lakeland Printing v. Bangstad, Case No. 2021-CV-73
A jury trial in late October 2023 ended with a verdict for Walker on all claims and damages of more than $750,000, reportedly the largest defamation award in Wisconsin history at the time.2Wisconsin Watch. Wisconsin Minocqua Brewing Company Bangstad Super PAC Donations Defamation Politics Bangstad settled in October 2024 for $580,000, with $50,000 paid personally and $530,000 covered by insurance, according to the Wausau Pilot & Review.3Wausau Pilot & Review. Lawsuit Alleges Minocqua Brewing Company Owner Uses Super PAC Donations for Personal Expenses
Criminal Defamation Charges Dismissed
A separate criminal case grew out of an August 2024 Facebook post. Bangstad shared a manipulated image showing Lakeland Times editor Heather Holmes dressed as a dominatrix standing over Walker, labeled by Bangstad as a parody. Holmes said she had been sleeping with a knife by her bed after the post appeared.2Wisconsin Watch. Wisconsin Minocqua Brewing Company Bangstad Super PAC Donations Defamation Politics
On October 16, 2024, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Department detained Bangstad during a traffic stop on two counts of criminal defamation, a Class A misdemeanor in Wisconsin carrying up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine.4WXPR. Kirk Bangstad Owner of Minocqua Brewing Company Arrested for Criminal Defamation in Minocqua
On August 22, 2025, Vilas County Judge Martha Milanowski dismissed the criminal defamation charges, finding probable cause had not been established. Because the post was labeled “parody,” she wrote, no reasonable person would have believed the images were real depictions of Walker and Holmes, and she categorized both complainants as “limited public figures.” The court did not rule on the constitutionality of the criminal defamation statute itself.5Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Criminal Defamation Charge Against Bangstad Dismissed Because Judge Rules Probable Cause Not Established
Related harassment and bail jumping charges were resolved in April 2026 when Bangstad pleaded no contest to one count of disorderly conduct, arising from a June 2025 incident in which he and others shouted obscenities at Walker outside the Lakeland Times office. Judge Milanowski dismissed the other charges as part of the plea and imposed a $500 fine plus court costs totaling $1,083, with no jail time or probation.6Lakeland Times. Bangstad Found Guilty, No Contest Plea in Disorderly Conduct Case
The Oneida County Zoning Fight
The longest-running dispute involved zoning permits for the Minocqua taproom. The county’s Planning and Development Committee revoked the brewery’s administrative review permit on August 2, 2023, citing outdoor alcohol consumption where only indoor service was allowed, insufficient parking, and noncompliance with stormwater and state transportation regulations.7Shepherd Express. Is the GOP Trying to Shut Down Minocqua Brewing8Wausau Pilot & Review. Minocqua Brewing Company Owner Loses Appeal to Restore Permit
Bangstad acknowledged some violations but called the enforcement a “political vendetta.” Committee chairman Scott Holewinski denied any political motivation.7Shepherd Express. Is the GOP Trying to Shut Down Minocqua Brewing Bangstad filed a federal First Amendment retaliation suit against the Town of Minocqua in August 2023 and later added Oneida County as a defendant.9WisBusiness. Minocqua Brewing Company Adds Oneida County to Lawsuit Against Town of Minocqua That case was dropped in fall 2023 after a negotiated agreement allowed the brewery to build a beer garden.10WisBusiness. Minocqua Brewing Company Celebrates Victory in Wisconsin Court of Appeals
In July 2024, the Oneida County Zoning Board voted to revoke the brewery’s conditional use permit over ADA, parking, and stormwater failures.11WDEZ. Appeals Court Awards Minocqua Brewing Company Emergency Injunction to Remain Open The Wisconsin Third District Court of Appeals granted an emergency injunction the next day, keeping the taproom open.12WJFW. Minocqua Brewing Company Granted Emergency Business Injunction
Bangstad then filed a new federal First Amendment suit against members of the county’s Planning and Development Committee. In June 2025, U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson denied a preliminary injunction, finding no likelihood of success on the merits.13GovInfo. Bangstad v. Hess, No. 25-cv-325 The Seventh Circuit affirmed in November 2025, noting the county’s evidence that it would have denied the permits regardless of Bangstad’s political speech, citing the brewery’s “repeated violations of the permit conditions” and “continued operation even after the Committee suspended the permits.”14FindLaw. Minocqua Brewing Company v. Hess, No. 25-2092
Despite those losses in court, the county’s own Board of Adjustment voted unanimously in November 2025 to reinstate the brewery’s administrative review permit.15WisPolitics. Minocqua Brewing Company Wins Five-Year Zoning Battle Against Oneida County Oneida County has separately filed its own lawsuit alleging more than 100 zoning violations by the brewery, which was being litigated in federal court as of mid-2025.13GovInfo. Bangstad v. Hess, No. 25-cv-325
Walker-Holmes Civil Fraud and Privacy Lawsuit
In February 2025, Walker and Holmes filed a second civil suit, this time against Bangstad, the Minocqua Brewing Company, and the Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC in Oneida County Circuit Court. The complaint alleges invasion of privacy and commercial misappropriation of the plaintiffs’ likenesses in brewery marketing, including a beer called “Snowflake Holiday Ale.” It also alleges that Bangstad defrauded Super PAC donors by routing money through two entities, Effervescent Blue and NCPS, which the complaint describes as fronts for personal expenses.3Wausau Pilot & Review. Lawsuit Alleges Minocqua Brewing Company Owner Uses Super PAC Donations for Personal Expenses
According to the complaint, the Super PAC paid $460,549 to those two entities between 2021 and 2024, and directed a total of $1.12 million (58.3 percent of all expenditures) to Bangstad, entities he controls, friends, and law firms.16Urban Milwaukee. Lawsuit Alleges Minocqua Brewing Company Owner Uses Super PAC for Personal Gain Bangstad tried to remove the case to federal court, but in May 2026 U.S. District Judge William Conley sent it back to Oneida County, ruling it was fundamentally a state-law tort dispute.17Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Privacy Case Involving Lakeland Times Employees to Be Tried in Oneida County Circuit Court The case is active.
Independent reporting by Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Watch found the Super PAC was the only political group the FEC identified as having paid either Effervescent Blue or NCPS. Bangstad declined to explain what the two entities do, calling questions about them “out of bounds.”18Wisconsin Public Radio. Minocqua Brewing Company Kirk Bangstad Oneida County Controversy Donations Criminal Defamation2Wisconsin Watch. Wisconsin Minocqua Brewing Company Bangstad Super PAC Donations Defamation Politics
Lawsuits Filed by the Super PAC
The Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC, launched in January 2021, has also been a plaintiff in several suits. All of its policy cases failed:
- A 2021 suit seeking to compel school masking during the pandemic. Bangstad petitioned to dismiss his own case in 2023.
- A 2023 challenge to Wisconsin’s private voucher school program. The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously refused to hear it.
- A 2024 attempt to block Donald Trump from Wisconsin’s ballot. A Dane County judge dismissed the case after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling addressed the broader legal question.
In September 2025, after Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul declined to bring the case, the Super PAC filed a federal class action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Western District of Wisconsin. The suit seeks to require ICE agents operating in Wisconsin to publicly display names, badge numbers, and agency insignia, and it alleges First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment violations. No ruling has been reported as of mid-2026.19Wisconsin Law Journal. Minocqua Brewing PAC Sues ICE Over Agent Anonymity
The June 2026 Beer Seizure Case
On June 11, 2026, Wisconsin Department of Revenue alcohol enforcement agents inspected the brewery’s taprooms in Minocqua and Madison and seized roughly $25,000 worth of canned beer. The state alleged the beer had been brewed in Illinois and brought into Wisconsin without proper permits or excise tax payments, following what a DOR spokesperson described as months of compliance discussions after a 2025 complaint.20Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Officials Seize Minocqua Brewing’s Canned Beer Amid Investigation
Bangstad called the enforcement “malicious harassment” and said the brewery had tried to pay approximately $500 in excise taxes but was not permitted to. On June 12, the brewery filed for declaratory and injunctive relief in Dane County Circuit Court against the Department of Revenue, including a request for an emergency restraining order to recover the seized beer.21WSAW. Minocqua Brewing Owner Says Beer Seized Over Excise Tax Dispute
The Federal Investigation Over the Trump Post
This is not a lawsuit but a related open matter. In April 2026, after an armed security incident at a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner event, Bangstad posted on the brewery’s Facebook page that “a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a positive news cycle.”22Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. FBI, Secret Service Interview Minocqua Brewing Head Over Trump Post
On April 30, 2026, FBI and Secret Service agents conducted a voluntary interview with Bangstad and his attorney at the brewery, asking whether he or anyone he knew intended to harm the president or vice president. He denied any such intent and described the post as “hyperbole” and “gallows humor.”23Wisconsin Public Radio. Federal Agents Interview Kirk Bangstad Regarding Trump Post No charges have been filed. Both agencies described the matter as “ongoing.”24WSAW. FBI, Secret Service Speak With Minocqua Brewing Company Owner Following Social Media Post
What Remains Open
As of mid-2026, the resolved matters are the Walker civil defamation suit (settled for $580,000), the criminal defamation prosecution (dismissed), the related harassment and bail jumping charges (dismissed under a no-contest plea to disorderly conduct), and the county’s revocation of the taproom’s administrative review permit (reinstated by the Board of Adjustment). Still pending are the Walker-Holmes civil fraud and privacy case in Oneida County Circuit Court, Oneida County’s own suit alleging more than 100 zoning violations in federal court, the Super PAC’s class action against ICE in the Western District of Wisconsin, and the brewery’s Dane County challenge to the June 2026 beer seizure. The federal investigation into the Trump-related social media post is open.