The lawsuit, filed by seven baristas, among them the owner of the coffee stands, was directed against two ordinances issued by the state's City of Everett, which attempted to impose a workplace dress code and redefine lewd conduct that would prohibit the establishment from operating, AP reported.
The dress code ordinance, calling for workers to sport at least tank tops and shorts, specifically applied to employees working at "quick service" restaurants like Hillbilly Hotties.
While the city attempted to ban the scantily-clad women from showing off their skin, US District Court Judge Marsha Pechman ultimately determined that the ordinances were "likely void for vagueness under the Fourteenth Amendment" and that the "Dress Code Ordinance likely violates [the women's] right to free speech under the First Amendment."
"This is just another step in the progress of women's rights," Jovana Edge, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said in a statement regarding the judge's injunction.
"A lot of us are moms or they're girls trying to put ourselves through school. The economy — it's pretty rough right now and it's nice to have that extra money," Kristen McMahon, one of the baristas not named in the lawsuit, told local station Q13. "I think it's ridiculous. I think [the city] really put a bad name for us."
"They were talking about us doing prostitution or saying that there's a bunch of crime here and it's not true — I see more bad things happen at McDonald's in town," McMahon added.
In its initial adoption of the measures, city officials cited several sex offenses that involved bikini barista shops operating as drive-thru strip clubs, Fox News reported.
Responding to the judge's decision, a spokesperson for the City of Everett told the news station that officials "are in the process of evaluating the court's ruling."
"Once the review is completed a determination will be made about how to proceed," the statement read.
