Barronelle Stutzman
| Barronelle Stutzman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945 (age 78–79) |
| Other names | D.b.a. Arlene's Flowers |
| Occupation | Florist |
| Known for | Influential legal case regarding religious and civil rights. |
Barronelle Stutzman is a Christian florist and business owner of Arlene's Flowers in Richland, Washington, United States. She was involved in several controversial lawsuits which gained national attention due to both their religious and civil rights implications.[1][2] She has since appeared on TV as a public speaker advocating for religious freedom.[3]
Biography
Ms. Stutzman was born in 1945[4] and resides in Richland, Washington. She has eight children and 23 grandchildren.[3]
Legal Case
The first two legal cases, Ingersoll v. Arlene's Flowers and State of Washington v. Arlene's Flowers were consolidated by Benton County Superior Court Judge Salvador Mendoza into a single case for purposes of discovery.[5]
The first civil suit filed was Ingersoll v. Arlene's Flowers, in which a gay couple were denied floral arrangements for their wedding by Ms. Stutzman's business. She had been servicing the couple for several years, and would have provided them the flowers, but based on her religious belief was unable to participate in beautifying the wedding.[6][7] The ACLU represented the couple, Robert Ingersoll and his partner Curt Freed, in the lawsuit against the small business on grounds of discrimination.[8] ACLU attorneys proposed a settlement in the suit if she publicly apologized, donated $5,000 to a local LGBT youth center and stopped refusing to service people due to sexual orientation.[9] The ADF countered the case stating the small business should not be required to violate deeply held religious beliefs.[10]
The second lawsuit was a consumer protection suit, State of Washington v. Arlene's Flowers, filed by attorney general Bob Ferguson, in response to the civil lawsuit he read about on Facebook,[11] in order to uphold Washington state's Consumer Protection Act.[12] The case would have been settled with a penalty of $2,000 under the Consumer Protection Act, a $1 payment for costs, and agreement not to discriminate in the future. However, Ms. Stutzman responded that she would not comply, citing the state's constitution 'freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment'.[13] On January 7, 2015 Benton County Superior Court Judge Alexander Ekstrom ruled she was personally liable, concluding that Stutzman must provide full wedding support for same-sex ceremonies, including custom design work to decorate the ceremony, delivery to the forum, staying at the ceremony to touch up arrangements, and assisting the wedding party.[14][15]
The third lawsuit, Arlene's Flowers v. Ferguson, was filed as a countersuit by Ms. Stutzman to claim financial damages caused by the previous two lawsuits.[11]
On February 18, 2015, Benton County Superior Court Judge Alexander Ekstrom ruled that she had violated the state's anti-discrimination law in both cases.[16][17] On February 19, 2015, Ms. Stutzman stated she would appeal the ruling.[18] On March 27, 2015 Judge Alexander Ekstrom ordered Ms. Stutzman to pay a $1,000 fine, plus $1 for court costs and fees.[19][20]
Ms. Stutzman had received over $174,000 in individual donations on GoFundMe,[21] prior to GoFundMe removing her donation page due to an alleged terms of service violation.[22]
See also
References
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