Liberty Counsel Files Brief on Behalf of American Pastor in International Lawsuit
Liberty Counsel filed its second 150-page brief in support of dismissing a lawsuit filed by Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) against American Pastor Scott Lively, responding to the 1,000+ pages submitted by SMUG to keep its vindictive and baseless lawsuit alive. SMUG filed the suit in retaliation against Lively for speaking about homosexuality and God’s design for the family in Uganda.
SMUG claims Lively committed an international “crime against humanity” when he shared his biblical views on homosexuality during three visits to Uganda in 2002 and 2009, even declaring Lively’s “crimes” to be “one step from genocide.” SMUG deems every pro-family advocate in Uganda to be a “co-conspirator” in a “criminal enterprise” to “persecute” the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) population of Uganda. In addition to seeking bankrupting financial penalties from Lively, SMUG is asking the federal court to prohibit Lively from, among other things, preaching at Ugandan churches and lobbying or advocating against same-sex marriage in Uganda.
Lively’s latest brief responds to over 1,000 pages of manufactured allegations and diversionary propaganda filed by SMUG in an attempt to rescue its lawsuit from the sworn testimony of its officers and directors, admitting that SMUG has no knowledge whatsoever connecting Lively to any act of “persecution.” The brief, filed on behalf of Lively, shows the court that SMUG not only cannot prove a single act of “persecution” by Lively, but also concealed from Lively and the court a book published by SMUG covering a decade of the Ugandan homosexuality debate and containing information that destroys SMUG’s international “conspiracy” theory.
“SMUG has now made it clear that it wants to put Pastor Scott Lively’s Christian faith on trial,” said Liberty Counsel’s Harry Mihet, Chief Litigation Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs. “Every American should be concerned about this unprecedented attempt to subjugate U.S. citizens and our Constitution to the new ‘morality’ of the international left,” Mihet continued, “and we should pray for a just and decisive ruling from the court preserving our most cherished constitutional freedoms of thought and expression.”
The federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts will hear argument on Lively’s motion for summary judgment dismissing SMUG’s case on October 5, 2016.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
(Source: Christian Newswire)
