Arlene's Flowers lawsuit

The Arlene's Flowers lawsuit was a group of merged civil suits brought against Arlene's Flowers of Richland, Washington, US, by a couple whose longtime florist declined service of their same-sex wedding, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The lawsuits gained national attention due to their religious and civil rights implications.[1][2][3] The Supreme Court of the United States let stand two unanimous verdicts by the Washington state Supreme Court that same-sex couples cannot be discriminated against on the basis of religious freedom.[4]

Stutzman opted to settle with Ingersoll in November 2021, paying him $5,000, as she was getting close to retirement and wanted to stop accumulating legal fees related to the case. While she had filed a petition for rehearing in September 2021 to the Supreme Court, she withdrew it following the settlement.[4] During 2022, Stutzman sold the shop to Kim Solheim, who changed the store's policies to welcome LGBTQ+ clients.[5]

  1. ^ "Barronelle Stutzman, Arlene's Flower Shop Florist, Refuses Washington Gay Wedding Job Because Of Religion". Huffington Post. March 7, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  2. ^ Burk, Denny (February 20, 2015). "A florist loses religious freedom, and much more". CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  3. ^ "Washington sues florist who said no to a same-sex wedding". Los Angeles Times. 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  4. ^ a b "Florist who refused same-sex wedding job settles with couple". Associated Press. November 18, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  5. ^ Culverwell, Wendy (June 23, 2024). "Tri-Cities flower shop that wouldn't serve same-sex wedding has new LGBTQ-friendly owner". www.tri-cityherald.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.