In Canaan Christian Church v. Montgomery County, Maryland, (D MD, Sept. 30, 2020), a Maryland federal district court, in a 54-page opinion, rejected challenges to the county's refusal to extend public sewer lines to a site on which plaintiffs wished to build a 2000-seat church. The court rejected plaintiff's "substantial burden" claim under RLUIPA, finding that the church had no reasonable expectation that the sewer extension would be approved. The court also rejected RLUIPA "unreasonable limits" and "unequal terms" claims. It went on to reject equal protection and free exercise challenges.
