Elsinore Christian Center v. City of Lake Elsinore

Location: Lake Elsinore, California
Court: Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals

Protecting churches against discrimination by governmental authorities under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)

Lake Elsinore Christian Center was denied a conditional use permit to establish a church within the downtown portion of the City of Lake Elsinore. We appealed this case to the Ninth Circuit, and had a favorable ruling when the Ninth Circuit declared the federal law protecting churches and religious institutions from discrimination constitutional. While the Ninth Circuit sent the case back to the district court to determine damages, the City also appealed to the United States Supreme Court. The City approached us about settling the case, and a settlement was reached. Damages were determined based on today’s fair market value of the property the church sought to buy seven years ago. Accordingly, the church received a 1.2 million dollar settlement.