Jones Day and the Anti-Defamation League filed a civil rights lawsuit on April 10 in Ohio Northern District Court on behalf of Community Church of Chesterland, a church that 'embraces racially diverse imagery and pro-LGBTQIA+ imagery,' and other plaintiffs. The suit, which names four members of the White Lives Matter Ohio chapter, contends that the defendants attempted to deprive Community Church of its property and to interfere with the plaintiffs’ lawful exercise of their First Amendment right of religious freedom. According to the complaint, defendant Aimenn D. Penny threw Molotov cocktails at the church because it planned to host two drag shows. Significantly, Penny was sentenced to 18 years in prison earlier this year for the attack. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 1:24-cv-00642, Community Church of Chesterland, Ohio v. Penny.
Public Interest & Nonprofit
April 10, 2024, 11:20 AM