A faith-based adoption provider secured a second victory against New York state officials who tried to shut down their practice of placing infants with a married mother and father [1].
This follows a favourable settlement and a payment of $250,000 for attorneys’ fees in a related lawsuit settled last month.
In the second lawsuit—which challenged an attempt by a different New York state agency to punish New Hope Family Services for adhering to its religious convictions—New York officials agreed to pay an additional $25,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs, and broadly confirmed New Hope’s right to continue its critical work of placing infants in permanent homes without government harassment.
The New York Division of Human Rights threatened to investigate and penalize the Christian nonprofit because it places infants with couples consisting of a mother and father committed to each other in marriage.
“The state of New York was so determined to silence or destroy New Hope Family Services that it violated New Hope’s First Amendment rights and launched a barrage of unlawful and discriminatory attacks against the organization,” said ADF Senior Counsel Roger Brooks. “Thankfully, that harassment has come to an end”, he added.