Liberty Ridge Farm v. McCarthy
In 2018, Liberty Ridge Farm, a New York-based wedding venue, sued a same-sex couple, Jennie and Melissa McCarthy, for breach of contract after the couple cancelled their wedding at the venue because Liberty Ridge Farm refused to accommodate their same-sex wedding. The McCarthys had booked their wedding at the venue in 2017, but after they learned that Liberty Ridge Farm was owned by Cynthia Gifford, a Mennonite who opposes same-sex marriage, they cancelled their wedding.
In 2019, an administrative law judge ruled in favor of the McCarthys, finding that Liberty Ridge Farm had violated the New York State Human Rights Law by discriminating against the couple based on their sexual orientation. The judge ordered Liberty Ridge Farm to pay the McCarthys $1,500 each in damages and $10,000 in restitution to the state.
Liberty Ridge Farm appealed the ruling, but the New York Court of Appeals upheld the decision in 2021. The court found that Liberty Ridge Farm was not exempt from the Human Rights Law under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) because it was primarily a for-profit business that did not meet the RFRA’s requirement of being “a closely held for-profit corporation” with a “religious purpose.”
D.C. et al v. Liberty Ridge Farm et al
In 2021, four former residents of Liberty Ridge Farm filed a class action lawsuit against the farm, alleging that they were subjected to forced labor, physical and emotional abuse, and deprivation of food and education while living at the farm. The plaintiffs allege that Liberty Ridge Farm, which is owned by the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church and Related Areas, is a “totalitarian religious cult” that uses its religious beliefs to justify its abusive practices.
The lawsuit is still ongoing, and no trial date has been set. However, the case has already attracted significant media attention and has sparked a national conversation about the use of religious freedom to justify abuse.
The two Liberty Ridge Farm lawsuits are important reminders of the need to protect the rights of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or religious beliefs. They also highlight the importance of holding businesses accountable for their actions, even if they claim to be operating in accordance with their religious beliefs.
