Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coeur d’Alene wedding chapel suit ends in $1,000 judgment

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 city ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. Once same-sex marriage became legal in Idaho, the Knapps said they would not perform those wedding ceremonies, but they argued their refusal would subject them to penalty under the nondiscrimination ordinance.

The city did not enforce penalties against the Knapps and told the couple the ordinance exempts them because of their religious affiliation. Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal rights organization representing the Knapps free of charge, pushed ahead with the suit.

In March a federal judge allowed the suit to proceed but severely limited the scope, saying the Knapps could seek damages for just one day they voluntarily shut down – the day same-sex marriage became legal in Idaho in October 2014.

Jonathan Scruggs, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, said the resolution of the case is a victory for the Knapps and recognition the city violated their rights.

“The case wasn’t dismissed,” he said. “The court entered a judgment against the city. … The city just kind of threw up its hands now and said we forfeit, take the judgment against us right now.”

Although the city eventually determined the Hitching Post was not subject to the ordinance, the city attorney’s office initially said the Knapps were, prompting the owners to close their chapel for nearly a week, Scruggs said.

“Our goal in the lawsuit was to ensure that our clients could marry people of their choosing in accordance with their faith,” he said. “Before the lawsuit they could not do that. … The city changed their mind. I’m glad they did.”

In narrowing the scope of the suit, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Bush said the Knapps failed to demonstrate they were under threat of prosecution for future violations of the ordinance.

City Attorney Mike Gridley said Bush’s opinion granted most of the city’s motion to dismiss the suit. The city then offered the payment to make the rest of the suit go away, Gridley said.

“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,” he said.

“They really wanted us to change the ordinance, and we said no, we’re not changing the ordinance,” Gridley said.

The city was represented in the suit by a Boise attorney, whose expenses were covered by the city’s insurer, the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program. The plaintiffs also will submit a claim for attorney fees to be paid by the city – an amount subject to court approval.