A federal lawsuit claiming the city of Coeur d’Alene infringed on the religious rights of a small wedding chapel has ended with the city paying the owners of the business $1,000.01. Donald and Evelyn Knapp, the ministers who own the Hitching Post next to the Kootenai County Courthouse, sued to challenge a Coeur d’Alene city ordinance barring discrimination based on sexual orientation; they said they wouldn’t perform same-sex weddings. Much of the case was dismissed, because the Hitching Post filed to become a religious organization, thereby exempting itself from the ordinance.

City Attorney Mike Gridley told S-R reporter Scott Maben, “I believe we would have prevailed at trial, but the cost in staff time and attorney’s fees to go through discovery, mediation and a trial would have been much higher than $1,000. They really wanted us to change the ordinance, and we said no, we’re not changing the ordinance.”

Attorneys for the Knapps called the payment a win; you can read Maben’s full report here at spokesman.com.