Showing posts with label Suit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suit. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Washington dad sues school district for denying religious opt-out for young son during Pride Month lesson
By
mconnellynyp
Published Sep. 9, 2026, 2:43 p.m. ET
A Washington father is suing his son’s public school district after he said his 10-year-old was taught about gender surgery during a Pride Month lesson despite the Christian parent previously asking the school to excuse his child from LGBTQ-related instruction.
On Tuesday, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is representing the father, Konstantin Averkiev, filed a federal lawsuit against Lake Washington School District, alleging officials violated Averkiev’s First and 14th Amendment rights by refusing to provide notice and allow his son to opt out of LGBTQ-related lessons and other school requirements that conflict with his religious beliefs.
The dispute began after Averkiev said he met with his son’s fourth-grade teacher at Henry David Thoreau Elementary School in September 2025 and requested advance notice and an opt-out from lessons involving LGBTQ topics, gender identity or gender transition.
Montgomery County parent Wael Elkoshairi speaks in front of supporters of parents advocating for religious rights outside of the US Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC, on April 22, 2025.Getty Images
A Washington father is suing his son’s public school district.Stuart Monk – stock.adobe.com
Pride flags fly in front of the American Flag as a group gathers for a rally at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan on Feb. 12, 2026.Robert Miller for NY Post
According to the complaint, the teacher agreed, but Averkiev subsequently found out his son had been taught a June Pride Month lesson that allegedly included a classroom discussion of gender-change surgery.
The teacher then said he remembered Averkiev’s request and told him he “should have sent the lessons ahead of time,” according to messages cited in the lawsuit. However, Averkiev said that the district later rejected nearly all of his broader opt-out requests as his son prepared to enter fifth grade.
The Pride Month presentation, taught to fourth and fifth-grade students, described same-sex attraction, transgender identity and the Stonewall uprising, a series of protests from people who identified as LGBTQ+ against a police raid on June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village, according to materials cited in the complaint.
Tuesday, September 01, 2026
Tuesday, June 02, 2026
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Trump’s EEOC goes after another company that required vaccines
NewsJeff Brumley | May 28, 2026
(Shutterstock)
An Oklahoma company has agreed to settle a federal religious and disability discrimination lawsuit stemming from its firing of unvaccinated employees during the pandemic, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced.
AG Equipment Co. in Broken Arrow will pay $4.2 million to more than 40 workers terminated due to its 2021 mandate that all employees, without exception, had to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, EEOC said May 18.
The situation dates back to 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic was sowing divisions in the U.S. over issues such as sheltering in place and vaccines. Many white evangelical churches were openly defiant in resisting government-led public health measures.
EEOC has redoubled its focus on “religious liberty” cases since President Donald Trump returned to office, resulting in at least 16 religious discrimination cases — many of them COVID related — and the recovery of $67 million.
In fall 2021, AG Equipment Co. required all employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. In response, several workers requested exemptions based on religious reasons and one provided a doctor’s note asking for an accommodation because of a medical condition, EEOC said.
However, the company refused to consider the requests and on Oct. 21 that year fired all those who had requested the exemptions in addition to anyone else who didn’t show proof of vaccination.
“When these workers asked for a simple religious accommodation, the company didn’t pause to listen or even consider the impact,” said Patrick J. Holman, trial attorney for EEOC’s Oklahoma City area office. “It fired every one of them outright — without a conversation and without any real inquiry into whether granting an accommodation would have caused the business any hardship at all. This is unlawful as well as unfair.”
The lawsuit said the company’s conduct violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on faith and disability. In addition to the financial compensation in consent decree ending the litigation, the company must train managers in Title VII compliance and inform employees of their right to religious and disability accommodations.
“Where an accommodation can be provided without undue hardship, the law requires it — the pandemic did not exempt employers from their legal obligations under Title VII and the ADA,” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said. “The EEOC under my leadership will continue to hold employers accountable, deliver meaningful results, and restore dignity to American workers harmed by widespread COVID-19 vaccine-related civil rights violations.”
In March, the agency announced a $15 million conciliation agreement with an unnamed global technology company. “In its investigation, the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe that the company discriminated against a class of employees on the basis of religion and disability by denying their COVID-19 vaccine exemption requests and terminating employees who declined to receive vaccines.”
And Northwestern Medicine, a health care system in Chicago, agreed to pay $325,000 to employees who were denied vaccine exemptions based on religious beliefs dating back to November 2023, EEOC said May 26.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Minnesota church ‘prayerfully considering’ lawsuit after Don Lemon, anti-ICE mob storm service
Fox And Friends
January 26, 2026
Cities Church's Lead Pastor Jonathan Parnell and attorney Renee Carlson discuss the moment anti-ICE agitators stormed their Sunday service as they weigh potential legal action against the mob.
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Monday, December 29, 2025
Sunday shopping ban doesn’t apply at American Dream mall, N.J. says in Bergen blue laws battle
Updated: Dec. 28, 2025, 12:10 p.m.|Published: Dec. 28, 2025, 12:09 p.m.
A sign outside American Dream mall in East Rutherford announces all stores are open Sunday.New Jersey Superior Court
By Allison Pries | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The American Dream Meadowlands is getting support from its landlord, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, in a legal dispute with Paramus over Bergen County’s longtime Sunday shopping ban.
The Borough of Paramus filed a lawsuit in August saying American Dream has flouted the ban, commonly known as “Blue Laws” since at least January 19 2025 by allowing its more than 120 retail tenants to operate on Sundays.
Bergen is the last county in New Jersey to maintain its historic ban on Sunday shopping — a policy that remains popular in the retail mecca. The laws prohibit the sale of clothing and apparel, building materials, furniture and appliances on Sundays.
The operators of the American Dream mall began advertising Sunday shopping earlier this year — sparking a legal fight with the borough of Paramus.
Among the defendants in the lawsuit is the NJSEA, an independent authority established by the state in 1971 to oversee the Meadowlands Sports Complex including MetLife Stadium, the Meadowlands Racetrack and now American Dream.
By Allison Pries | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The American Dream Meadowlands is getting support from its landlord, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, in a legal dispute with Paramus over Bergen County’s longtime Sunday shopping ban.
The Borough of Paramus filed a lawsuit in August saying American Dream has flouted the ban, commonly known as “Blue Laws” since at least January 19 2025 by allowing its more than 120 retail tenants to operate on Sundays.
Bergen is the last county in New Jersey to maintain its historic ban on Sunday shopping — a policy that remains popular in the retail mecca. The laws prohibit the sale of clothing and apparel, building materials, furniture and appliances on Sundays.
The operators of the American Dream mall began advertising Sunday shopping earlier this year — sparking a legal fight with the borough of Paramus.
Among the defendants in the lawsuit is the NJSEA, an independent authority established by the state in 1971 to oversee the Meadowlands Sports Complex including MetLife Stadium, the Meadowlands Racetrack and now American Dream.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Catholic statues thrust a Massachusetts city into a national religious liberty debate
Catholic statues thrust a Massachusetts city into a national religious liberty debate
Key Points
A showdown over Catholic statues on a public building in a Massachusetts city represents yet another fight in a national conversation about the separation of church and state.
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch commissioned statues of St. Michael and St. Florian, the patron saints of police and firefighters, to adorn its new police headquarters. But more than a dozen residents are suing Koch, alleging that the city is violating religious neutrality as outlined in the state constitution.
A judge granted a preliminary injunction in mid-October, barring the statues from being installed as litigation continues.
Koch told The Patriot Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the city would be appealing the ruling.
"We chose the statues of Michael and Florian to honor Quincy’s first responders, not to promote any religion," Koch said. "These figures are recognized symbols of courage and sacrifice in police and fire communities across the world.”
Updated October 28, 2025 12:00 p.m. ET
Key Points
- More than a dozen Quincy, Massachusetts, residents joined a lawsuit alleging that the city was violating religious neutrality as outlined in the state constitution.
- The Becket Fund, which successfully represented Hobby Lobby in a landmark Supreme Court case a decade ago, is representing the city in the case.
- The Supreme Court has previously ruled in favor of government entities displaying explicitly Christian objects in cases where they identified a secular purpose outweighing the religious undertones.
A showdown over Catholic statues on a public building in a Massachusetts city represents yet another fight in a national conversation about the separation of church and state.
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch commissioned statues of St. Michael and St. Florian, the patron saints of police and firefighters, to adorn its new police headquarters. But more than a dozen residents are suing Koch, alleging that the city is violating religious neutrality as outlined in the state constitution.
A judge granted a preliminary injunction in mid-October, barring the statues from being installed as litigation continues.
Koch told The Patriot Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the city would be appealing the ruling.
"We chose the statues of Michael and Florian to honor Quincy’s first responders, not to promote any religion," Koch said. "These figures are recognized symbols of courage and sacrifice in police and fire communities across the world.”
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Monday, May 05, 2025
Female 'Pastor' Wins Court Case Against Adventist Conference
April 8, 2025 Gerry Wagoner
In 2024, Lerato Makombe filed a suit against the Cape Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, claiming that the Conference failed to address her numerous grievances over a period of years, including congregants who refused to accept a female pastor due to their religious beliefs.
Court Document
She says she was transferred to several districts and diagnosed with a mental illness as a consequence and successfully treated but subsequently resigned to avoid a relapse. She claims gender discrimination in her case against the Conference.
Makombe started work with the Cape Conference of the Seventh Day Adventists Church in January 2014 as an intern. She later became a pastor. From 2014 to 2020 she was transferred from post to post, often without any consultation, and was met with what she calls ‘hostile reception’ from congregants who do not believe that the Bible supports female pastors.
Makombe has a history of taking her Employer to court, filing another grievance in 2017. Since 2017, she has been treated repeatedly for psychological and psychiatric issues, including major depressive disorder. She blames her employer for her mental conditions, citing the unwillingness of some Seventh-day Adventist church members to accept a female pastor and the Conference’s unwillingness to demonstrate proper care and compassion. The conference claims that Makombe’s complaints were without substance.
In 2024, Lerato Makombe filed a suit against the Cape Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, claiming that the Conference failed to address her numerous grievances over a period of years, including congregants who refused to accept a female pastor due to their religious beliefs.
Court Document
She says she was transferred to several districts and diagnosed with a mental illness as a consequence and successfully treated but subsequently resigned to avoid a relapse. She claims gender discrimination in her case against the Conference.
Makombe started work with the Cape Conference of the Seventh Day Adventists Church in January 2014 as an intern. She later became a pastor. From 2014 to 2020 she was transferred from post to post, often without any consultation, and was met with what she calls ‘hostile reception’ from congregants who do not believe that the Bible supports female pastors.
Makombe has a history of taking her Employer to court, filing another grievance in 2017. Since 2017, she has been treated repeatedly for psychological and psychiatric issues, including major depressive disorder. She blames her employer for her mental conditions, citing the unwillingness of some Seventh-day Adventist church members to accept a female pastor and the Conference’s unwillingness to demonstrate proper care and compassion. The conference claims that Makombe’s complaints were without substance.
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Catholic bishops sue Trump administration for lost income after refugee aid stopped
By Elaine Mallon
February 19, 2025 11:32 am
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday evening for withholding millions of dollars of funding approved by Congress that assist in USCCB’s mission of providing relief and relocation to asylum refugees.
For fiscal 2025, the federal government has allocated $65 million to the USCCB “for the immediate physical needs and integration of refugees into their new communities,” but on Jan. 24 the Trump administration halted its payments to the USCCB. The conference now faces $13 million of unpaid reimbursements and owes $11.6 million to its “subrecipients that it is unable to reimburse.”
There are currently more than 6,700 asylum-seekers in their 90-day transitional period delegated to USCCB’s care.
“After refugees have already arrived and been placed in USCCB’s care, the government is attempting to pull the rug out from under USCCB’s programs by halting funding,” the lawsuit stated, according to a copy obtained by the Washington Post.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Monday, October 07, 2024
Modern Knights Sue Pope Francis Seeking Restoration After Over 700 Years
Story by Kathrine Frich
• 16h
Photo: Shutterstock© Photo: Shutterstock
The Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ, which claims to represent the modern-day Knights Templar, has recently filed a new reconciliation lawsuit against Pope Francis.
Third Legal Action
This marks the third legal action the group has taken in less than two years, as they demand the rehabilitation of the order that was disbanded in 1312.
The plaintiffs argue that the Templar order was dissolved unjustly on April 2, 1312, during the Council of Vienne. They assert that this decision was made through an Apostolic Letter issued by Pope Clement V rather than through a formal judicial ruling, according to El Economista.
Tuesday, May 07, 2024
Saturday, April 22, 2023
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