In 6th Circuit: Christian School Loses RLUIPA Equal Terms Challenge

In Tree of Life Christian Schools v. City of Upper Arlington, Ohio, (6th Cir., Sept. 18, 2018), the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision held that a private Christian school had failed to establish a prima facie case under the "equal terms" provision of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.  At issue was the prohibition in Upper Arlington's zoning master plan of the operation of schools-- both secular and religious-- in the area zoned as an office and research center district.  The majority held that the ordinance is "no more onerous to Tree of Life than it is to nonreligious entities that generate comparably small amounts of revenue for the City."  Judge Thapar dissented, arguing that the majority was incorrect in holding that comparator institutions under RLUIPA's equal terms provision must be "similarly situated" in regard to legitimate zoning criteria. Columbus Dispatch reports on the decision. [Thanks to Tom Rutledge for the lead.]

Abortion Protesters Sue City For Violating Their Rights

A suit was filed yesterday in an Ohio federal district court by abortion protesters who claim that Toledo, Ohio police have violated their free speech, free exercise and equal protection rights by enforcing or threatening to enforce various provision of Ohio law against them.  The complaint (full text) in Zastrow v. City of Toledo, (ND OH, filed 8/1/2018), contends in part:

The City’s pattern of conduct, which includes arresting, citing, prosecuting and threatening to arrest, cite, and prosecute, pro-life demonstrators, including Plaintiffs, for engaging in expressive religious activity on the public fora adjacent to the Capital Care abortion center, has had, and continues to have, a chilling effect on Plaintiffs’ expressive religious activity, thereby causing irreparable harm.

Courthouse News Service reports on the lawsuit.

Parents File State Court Suit Alleging Baptism of Their Son Without Their Consent

As previously reported, last October an Ohio federal district court dismissed a suit by parents of a minor child who contended that the mentor assigned by a juvenile court to their son coerced him into being baptized against the wishes of his parents. The court held that the various defendants were not state actors or had judicial immunity. Now the parents have refiled in state court, alleging causes of action that do not require a showing of state action. The complaint (full text) in Defibaugh v. Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio Board of Trustees, (OH Com. Pl., filed 4/24/2018), alleges civil assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent training and supervision of employees and volunteers, and civil conspiracy.  American Atheists issued a press release announcing the filing of the lawsuit.

6th Circuit: Ohio's Cutoff of Non-Abortion Funding To Planned Parenthood Is Unconstitutional

In Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Inc. v. Himes, (6th Cir., April 18, 2018), the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals held unconstitutional a 2016 Ohio law aimed at Planned Parenthood.  ORC §3701.34 prohibits the Ohio Department of Health from channeling funds it receives through six non-abortion-related federal health programs to any entity that performs or promotes nontherapeutic abortions, or which is affiliated with any entity that performs or promotes such abortions.  The appeals court held that the district court correctly applied the unconstitutional conditions doctrine in enjoining enforcement of the law, saying that "the unconstitutional-conditions doctrine is not limited to First Amendment rights."  According to the court, the question posed in this case is

whether Ohio may require a provider to surrender the right to provide safe and lawful abortions on its own “time and dime” as a condition of participating in government programs that have nothing to do with abortion. 

The court concluded:

Although Ohio women do not have a right to the programs, they do have a right not to have their access to important health services curtailed because their major abortion providers opted to protect women’s abortion rights rather than yield to unconstitutional conditions. 

 The court also held that the law imposes unconstitutional conditions on speech by prohibiting funds from going to any entity that promotes abortion:

§3701.034 affects programs that have nothing to do with abortion or family planning, and seeks to impose restrictions on recipients’ speech outside the six government programs the statute funds.

Columbus Dispatch, reporting on the decision, pointed out that two of the three judges handing down the ruling were Republican appointees. It also reports that the state Attorney General's office is reviewing the decision to determine whether it should seek en banc review or appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. [Thanks to Tom Rutledge and Scott Mange for the lead.]

Fired Magistrate Has Due Process But Not Equal Protection Claim

In Edelstein v. Stephens, (SD OH, March 31, 2018), an Ohio federal district court adopted in part and rejected in part a magistrate's recommendations and held that a magistrate/ staff attorney who was fired after she requested eight days off for Jewish holidays had failed to allege an equal protection violation. However, the court concluded that plaintiff had adequately alleged a due process violation in her claim that her employment was terminated in a manner that "created the impression that Plaintiff had committed a serious violation of procedure, law or ethics and devastated Plaintiff's reputation in the legal community."

Suit Over News Photo of Arabic-Speaking School Child May Continue

In Mahdy v. Mason City School District, (SD OH, March 15, 2018), an Ohio federal district court refused to dismiss equal protection and false-light claims growing out of the use of a photo of a 5-year old (identified as J.M.) to illustrate a newspaper story criticizing a rise in the number of Arabic-speaking students in the Mason City, Ohio schools.  The student was the daughter of an Egyptian-born urologist at the University of Cincinnati. The article reported that most of the Arabic-speaking students were from Saudi Arabia on temporary visas to be treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and that their enrollment placed strains on the school system's budget. The court describes plaintiff's claims:

The Complaint alleges that neither Dr. Mahdy nor his wife gave permission to anyone to photograph J.M., to disclose her identity to the public, or to falsely associate her with the Children’s Hospital Destination Excellence Program.... The Complaint alleges that J.M. had to be removed from MECC due to the "wave of Islamophobia that is currently sweeping across our country," and because her family was "so distressed over the prejudice and discriminatory treatment expressed against Arabic-speaking students."

Ohio's Law Banning Abortion Because of Down's Syndrome Is Enjoined

In Preterm-Cleveland v. Himes, (SD OH, March 14, 2018), an Ohio federal district court granted a preliminary injunction against enforcement of Ohio's recently enacted ban on a physician performing an abortion if the woman's decision is based in whole or part on a pre-natal indication of Down's syndrome.The court said in part:

The State argues that Roe and Casey do not apply for two reasons. First, the State argues the “Supreme Court of the United States has never recognized a right to abort an unborn child on the basis of a disability.” ... The State suggests that Roe and Casey only apply to women who accidentally become pregnant.... The State argues that women only have the right to choose whether to have a child, not the right to decide whether to have a particular child....

This argument is not well-taken. The interest protected by the Due Process Clause is a woman’s right to choose to terminate her pregnancy pre-viability, and that right is categorical.

Reacting to the decision, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said:

 I strongly disagree with the district court's ruling that there is a categorical right to abortion that prevents even any consideration of Ohio's profound interests in combatting discrimination against a class of human beings based upon disability. We will be appealing.

Jurist reports on the decision.

Christmas As Legal Holiday Does Not Violate County Employee's Rights

In Edelstein v. Stephens, (SD OH, Feb. 16, 2018), a Ohio federal magistrate judge recommended dismissing many of the claims of a state court staff attorney/magistrate who was fired after she requested eight days off for Jewish holidays. One of plaintiff's claims was that the county violated her free exercise and equal protection rights by designating Christmas as a legal holiday without similarly protecting the rights of non-Christians to celebrate their holidays.  The court said in part:

Butler County's policy establishing Christmas as a paid legal holiday for county employees is a neutral law that does not discriminate against a particular religion or set of religious beliefs or prohibit any conduct because it is undertaken for religious reasons.... The Sixth Circuit has acknowledged that because there are "legitimate secular purposes for establishing Christmas as a legal public holiday," it follows that the establishment of Christmas day as a legal public holiday neither violates an individual's fundamental rights nor discriminates against her based on her religion.

The Butler County Journal-News reports on the decision.

Ohio Court Gives Custody of Transgender Teen To Grandparents

CNN reports that an Ohio trial court judge today gave custody of a 17-year old transgender male to his grandparents after his parents sought to bar the hormonal transition treatment strongly recommended by the youth's medical team.  Grandparents will now be able to make medical decisions for the teen.  The parents argued that the teen was not old enough to make such a consequential decision.  A county prosecutor contended that the parents objected because of their religious beliefs. Court testimony revealed that the parents, in addition to opposing treatment, refused to call the youth by his chosen name, triggering suicidal feelings in him.

Suit Claims University Employee Dismissed Because of Anti-Muslim Discrimination

A former employee of Youngstown State University's Center for Student Progress filed suit this week claiming that his termination stemmed from discriminatory treatment against him because he is a Muslim.  The complaint (full text) in Jadun v. Youngstown Sate University, (ND OH, filed 1/23/2018) claims that the employee's dismissal violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as well as Ohio anti-discrimination law (ORC 4112.02). WFMJ News reports on the lawsuit.

Court Dismisses Parents' Complaint of Coerced Baptism of Son

In Defibaugh v. Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio Board of Trustees,  (ND OH, Oct. 16, 2017), an Ohio federal district court dismissed a suit by parents of a minor child who contend that the mentor assigned by a juvenile court to their minor son coerced him into being baptized against the wishes of his parents. They also claim that their son's guardian ad litem preached to the family about Christianity. The court held that the various defendants were not state actors or had judicial immunity.  Friendly Atheist blog has more on the case.

Christian School's Zoning Exclusion Did Not Violate RLUIPA

In Tree of Life Christian Schools v. City of Upper Arlington, (SD OH, Oct. 13, 2017), an Ohio federal district court held that Upper Arlington, Ohio's zoning law as applied to a Christian school did not violate the equal terms provision of RLUIPA.  In the case which has been in the courts for more than six years, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals had instructed the district court to determine:

Are there nonreligious assemblies or institutions to which the court should compare Tree of Life Christian Schools because they would fail to maximize income-tax revenue, and if so, would those assemblies or institutions be treated equally to TOL Christian Schools?

The district court concluded:

Plaintiff’s proposed use of the Property as a school is not consistent with the regulatory purpose of the ORC Office and Research District–to maximize income, whereas permitted uses such as banks, hotels/motels, and hospitals do serve that purpose. Plaintiff, a religious school, is treated the same as every other nonreligious assembly or institution, such as secular schools, that do not maximize tax revenue as they are all prohibited from the ORC Office and Research District. Therefore, regardless of what test is applied, there is no nonreligious assembly or institution similarly situated that is being treated better than Plaintiff. 

6th Circuit Rejects Law Prof's Claim That $666 Raise Was Retaliatory As "Mark of the Beast"

In Lifter v. Cleveland State University, (6th Cir., Sept. 12, 2017), the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an Ohio federal district court's dismissal of a lawsuit by two former Cleveland State University Law School professors (husband and wife) who claim that the dean had retaliated against them because of the husband's activity in unionizing the faculty.  Plaintiff Sheldon Gelman argued that part of the retaliation was awarding him a raise of only $666 for the year.  He contended that not only did he deserve more, but that the dean chose the $666 figure as an intentional invocation of the biblical "mark of the beast."  The court dismissed Gelman's claim, saying:

Construing the facts in the light most favorable to Gelman, he cannot show that his union organizing activities were a substantial or motivating factor in these alleged injuries.

Law.com reports on the decision.

Court Rules Church Factions Must Share Church Building

In Mullins v. Wicker, (OH App., June 22, 2017), an Ohio appellate court in a 2-1 decision, agreed with a trial court's decision in a case in which two competing factions of the Little Ettie Old Regular Baptist Church in Beaver, Ohio both claimed ownership of the church's property.  The trial court had held that there are two congregations each equally entitled to church property and issued an injunction specifying how the two factions would share use of the church building.  The appeals court majority affirmed.

Judge Harsha dissenting argued that the court should have applied the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine and dismissed the case for want of jurisdiction, even though neither party raised the jurisdictional issue. He argued that the dispute here is essentially over church doctrine.  He added that even if the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine does not apply, the trial court abused its discretion in finding that there are two competing congregations equally entitled to ownership of church property.

In Mosque's Factional Dispute, Ohio Court Orders Dissolution and Reincorporation

In State of Ohio ex. rel. DeWine v. Omar Ibn El Khattab Mosque, Inc., (OH App., June 22, 2017), an Ohio appeals court exercising its original jurisdiction in quo warranto actions granted the state attorney general a writ allowing him to pursue the dissolution of the non-profit corporation which operates a Columbus, Ohio mosque. The court further granted the attorney general authority to oversee the creation of a successor entity to take over the mosque.  Two factions had both claimed to represent the mosque, and were involved in five years of litigation over which of the successive boards is the legitimate governing body of the mosque. The court agreed with a magistrate who initially heard the case, saying:

Omar Mosque, Inc. has violated many statutory requirements of [the Ohio Non-Profit Corporation Law] ... in failing to maintain a record of its members from the period of 2007 through 2011... [and] the failure to conduct an annual or special meeting of voting members for the election of directors in either 2009 or 2010.

These basic statutory requirements that Omar Mosque, Inc. violated would protect a corporation from the confusion and internal paralysis that this case has shown resulted when an internal division arose. Without a defined voting membership, regular meetings, and up-to-date membership roster, the authority of the board, and thus the legitimacy of the corporation itself, is no longer supported through recordable action.

The court added:

In light of the stable management provided by the Reash/Brey respondents, and the Khan/Ball board's willingness to efface itself from the day-to-day operation of the mosque, the oversight of the trustees or a receiver in this case may be limited to resolution of the current corporate dysfunction and need not intrude into the religious affairs of the mosque.

Ecclesiastical Abstention Leads To Dismissal of Suit By Expelled Student For Priesthood

In Doe v. Pontifical College Josephinum, (OH App., March 30, 2017), an Ohio appellate court applied the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine to dismiss a suit by a former student who was dismissed from an academic program designed to prepare him to become a priest.  The student was dismissed after the school's Vice Rector determined that there was a "credible accusation of homosexual activity."  The student sued for breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, unauthorized disclosure of confidential educational records, and unjust enrichment. In an internal canon law appeal of his dismissal, the student was unable to prepare a defense because he could not obtain relevant records from the school.  The court affirmed the trial court's dismissal of the lawsuit, saying in part:

Although appellant argues that the trial court could resolve his claims without addressing ecclesiastic issues, it is clear that the alleged unjust dismissal lies at the core of each claim. Therefore, evaluating those claims would require the common pleas court to consider issues related to the Josephinum's disciplinary process and the dismissal. 

Suit Claims Forced Baptism of Child Facilitated By Guardian Ad Litem

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on this week's filing in an Ohio federal district court of a lawsuit  alleging that a court-appointed CASA volunteer acting as guardian ad litem for a developmentally disabled child recruited a mentor who in turn had the child baptized against his parent's wishes.  The complaint (full text) in Defiaugh v. Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio Board of Trustees, (ND OH, filed 3/27/2017), alleges that in doing so, defendants committed various torts and also violated plaintiffs' free exercise rights.  A press release from American Atheists describes the allegations in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that V’s court-appointed guardian ad litem, Margaret Vaughan, repeatedly proselytized to V’s parents, April and Gregg DeFibaugh, and their children and told them that “families need God to raise children.” Despite complaining multiple times to Vaughan’s supervisors, no corrective action was taken by the agency. In 2015, Vaughan recruited David Guarnero, a member of her church, to act as a mentor for V through the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio (BBBS).

According to the suit, despite explicit instructions from the DeFibaughs to refrain from religious activities with V, Guarnero would frequently discuss religion with V. On August 28, 2016, Guarnero took V to a picnic at his church, the Morning Star Friends Church in Chardon, and, along with the church pastor, Matthew Chesnes, forcibly baptized V, pushing him under water. Since the incident, V has suffered anxiety and extreme emotional distress.

Ohio City Enacts Broad Conversion Therapy Ban

According to the Toledo Blade, Toledo, Ohio City Council on Tuesday passed a broad ban on conversion therapy-- therapy aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.  Unlike most bans elsewhere, Toledo's ordinance is not limited to protecting minors. The new law provides:

no mental health provider shall engage in sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts with any person.

The ordinance provides for a fine of $250 for each violation. According to Toledo City Paper, the new ordinance passed City Council by a vote of 12-0.

Former Employees Sue Claiming They Were Required To Participate In Scientology Traininig

According to yesterday's Madison County Herald Bulletin, Paul and Chelsea Wysong who are former employees of the Anderson, Ohio-based Continental Design Co. filed a religious discrimination lawsuit in state court in Darke County, Ohio last week.  Plaintiffs charged that company CEO Judy Nagengast required them to participate in Scientology religious practices, such as audits and training. They were told to attend Scientology courses in California, Indiana and Florida. Nagengast denies the allegations and said she plans a counter-suit.

Religious Comment Does Not Invalidate Civil Protection Order

In Majeed v. Majeed, (OH App., Oct. 7, 2016), an Ohio appellate court held that a religious comment made by a magistrate at the end of a hearing at which the magistrate agreed to issue a wife a domestic violence civil protection order was not grounds for overturning the order.  The wife, who testified that her husband was Muslim, had the following exchange with the magistrate at the end of the hearing at which the husband did not appear:

The Petitioner: Thank you very much for your time. The Court: Be careful. Take care of yourself. The Petitioner: Yes, with God’s help I’ve been depressed and it’s the worst feeling in the world to feel like Jesus is not real. I just got back with Jesus and I’d like it to stay there.  The Court: An[d] He would like you to stay there also. The Petitioner: Yes, ma’am. The Court: Thank you, ma’am. The Petitioner: God bless.

The appeals court said in part: "there is nothing in the record to indicate that religious beliefs affected the trial court’s issuance of a domestic violence CPO."