COLUMBUS, Ind. — Columbus has been added to a lawsuit that questions the constitutionality of the city’s same-sex ordinances.
The Indiana Family Institute, Indiana Family Action, and The American Family Association of Indiana filed the original lawsuit against last year’s “fix” to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the cities of Indianapolis and Carmel in December.
On Tuesday, the groups amended the complaint to add Columbus and Bloomington to the litigation.
However, a Columbus Human Rights Commission representative said they have not received any notice of the lawsuit as of Wednesday morning.
The lawsuit claims that the RFRA “fix” and local ordinances contradict constitutional protections, specifically equal protection for the religious-free-exercise of all persons.
The Bopp Law Firm in Terre Haute filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs.
“The Columbus Ordinance provides no protection for religious freedom at all. Further, there are very high fines if these ordinances are violated,” according to a press release from the law firm.
“If an organization violated the Columbus Ordinance, for the first offense, it would be fined $50,000, and for the second offense $100,000.”