Suit Challenges 2009 Raid On Church of Universal Love and Music

William Pritts, founder of the controversial Church of Universal Love and Music, filed a lawsuit in a Pennsylvania federal district court on Tuesday charging the Fayette County (PA) Drug Task Force with conducting an illegal raid of a church concert last year. (See prior posting.) According to yesterday's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the suit claims that the raid-- which resulted in the arrest of 22 music fans on drug charges-- was conducted in a "callous and militaristic fashion" with an overly broad search warrant. 14 co-plaintiffs claim that police lacked probable cause to search them because the warrant carried the wrong address for the church and allowed a search of "all persons present."