ADF announced yesterday that a settlement agreement (full text) has been reached in the long-running Arleen's Flowers litigation. In the case, the Washington state Supreme Court held that a florist shop's refusal to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding constitutes sexual orientation discrimination under the Washington Law Against Discrimination, and that enforcement of the law does not violate the constitutional rights of the floral shop owner. In July, the U.S. Supreme Court denied review (see prior posting). According to ADF:
A settlement agreement ... ends a lawsuit brought against floral artist Barronelle Stutzman nearly a decade ago without forcing her to act against her religious beliefs or to pay potentially ruinous attorneys’ fees.... Stutzman has chosen to retire so her beloved employees can run her business, Arlene’s Flowers. She will withdraw a pending petition for rehearing at the U.S. Supreme Court and make a payment of only $5,000 to the two men who sued her.
Stutzman, 77 and a great-grandmother, explained that she is at peace because the settlement allows her to finally retire with her conscience intact, and she knows that the legal effort to protect the artistic freedoms of creative professionals will continue in cases like 303 Creative v. Elenis, which the U.S. Supreme Court could decide to hear soon.
Tri-City Herald reports on the settlement.
