A judge in Moscow, Idaho, recently awarded $300,000 to a group of Christians arrested for holding an outdoor church service without wearing masks during the pandemic. The churchgoers sued the city after they were arrested in September 2020 for singing outside without wearing masks.
What Happened?
In September 2020, members of Christ Church sang outside Moscow City Hall. They sang for approximately 20 minutes. Police officers took the hymnal before handcuffing the attendees. They were in jail for several hours. President Trump, who was President at that time, criticized the move [1].
Charges
Three were charged with violating the city’s public health emergency ordinance, but a judge later dismissed the city’s case against them. However, a federal judge later denied the city’s request to dismiss the lawsuit.
Rench was one of the ones arrested. He was a candidate for Latah County Commission. He said,
It’s actually the city of Moscow that was defying the law [2].
He also believes that the government has started to target Christians more.
Closure
To meet closure in the matter, the city’s liability insurance provider “will pay a total settlement amount of $300,000 and all claims against the City and the named City employees will be dismissed with prejudice along with a release of all liability,” the city said in a press release.
Notes:
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