Jeremy Morris, a man known as the "Christmas lawyer," has taken his case against his former homeowners association (HOA) in Idaho to the Supreme Court.
The dispute centers around a Christmas light display and fundraiser held at Morris's home, which the HOA claimed violated community rules. In his petition to the court, filed on November 13, Morris argued that the West Hayden Estates Homeowners Association's initial complaint was driven by "religious animus."
The HOA stands accused of several discriminatory actions, including sending a prejudiced letter referencing non-Christian residents (specifically avowed atheists) while the Morris family was in the process of buying a house. The association is also alleged to have contacted the sellers to express their discomfort with the Morris family's beliefs being imposed on the neighborhood. Furthermore, the HOA is said to have engaged in intimidation tactics, such as circulating letters to neighbors before the Morris family moved in, and continuing to distribute letters by hand in violation of the rules. The association is also accused of selectively enforcing community rules, admitting to neighbors and on tape recordings that the alleged violations by the Morris family did not exist, while board members openly violated the community's covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CCRs) with impunity.
According to The Post Millennial, the HOA has also been accused of making death threats, vandalizing the display, and assaulting multiple female visitors to the display.
Morris made an offer on a house in the neighborhood in 2014, shortly after hosting his first light show at his previous home. He informed the HOA of his plans to repeat the event in 2015, but the association attempted to halt it, claiming it violated community rules.
In a letter to Morris in January 2015, the HOA expressed concern about the potential issues that could arise from the presence of non-Christian or other faith residents in the neighborhood. The letter also stated that the board did not wish to become embroiled in costly litigation to enforce longstanding rules and regulations, nor did they want to fill the neighborhood with hundreds of people and potential "undesirables."
Despite receiving a letter threatening legal action, Morris proceeded with his light show, which featured musicians, a children's choir, a live nativity scene, and rented shuttle buses to transport visitors. Volunteers were on hand to direct traffic through the streets.
Allegedly, spectators were harassed by neighbors, and the Morris family received threats ahead of the 2016 show. A partially recorded confrontation showed a neighbor offering to "take care of him."
In January 2017, Morris sued the HOA. Although a jury sided with him, Judge B. Lynn Winmill overturned the verdict and ordered Morris to pay over $111,000 in attorney fees to the HOA. The judge ruled that the case was not about religious discrimination, but about violations of community rules. In 2020, Morris took his case to the 9th Circuit. The three-judge panel agreed with Winmill's overturning of the jury verdict but also found enough evidence to support the jury's conclusion that the HOA board's "conduct was motivated at least in part by the Morrises religious expression." The 9th Circuit's ruling allowed for a new trial, but Morris appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
Speaking to Fox News, Morris expressed his disbelief that the Supreme Court justices would be reviewing a case involving a fundraiser for families with children suffering from cancer, featuring elements such as Dolly the Camel, 700,000 Christmas lights, a children's choir, and the real Santa Claus testifying in federal court.
He stated, "The right to celebrate Christmas in accordance with our familys faith traditions, to use our property to express that Christian faith tradition, and the right to have a unanimous jury verdict protected after 15 hours of deliberations all are at the core of Constitutional protections and 250 years of American jurisprudence." In a 2022 video, Morris announced that he and his family were leaving Idaho, expressing disappointment in those who he felt should have supported him but instead "really stabbed my family in the back."
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