Plano, TX- The lawsuit against the City of Terrell was dropped today when the city agreed to settle with the Purpose Life Church, allowing the church to continue meeting in government owned property.
The settlement agreement allows Purpose Life Church and Pastor Michael Feltis to sublease the YMCA facilities for their church services. In addition, the city of Terrell states that their official policy does not allow discrimination against anyone, including churches, from the use of government owned facilities.
“We are pleased with the decision today by the City of Terrell to prevent religious discrimination against churches. We are glad that the Purpose Life Church was willing to stand not only for their freedoms, but also the freedoms of other churches around the nation,” said Brad Lamberth, lead attorney on the case.
The original lawsuit was filed in March when the city banned the YMCA of Kaufman County from renting the facility to the Purpose Life Church. The lawsuit alleged the church was denied rental, and the city manager’s office stated that the city policy prohibited churches from renting city property. After several attempts were made to resolve the conflict, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into the discriminatory actions of the city.
“Government officials have no authority to prevent churches from renting public buildings,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for Liberty Legal Institute.
The City of Terrell also agreed to pay attorney’s fees and damages to the church and Pastor Feltis. It is expected that the Department of Justice will now close the investigation