Law students settle suit with UI

Three law students and a professor recently settled a lawsuit against the University of Idaho after months of arguing that the university violated their First Amendment rights.

The case — named Perlot v. Green after one of the plaintiffs, Peter Perlot, and UI President Scott Green — stems from a lawsuit brought against the UI by members of the Christian Legal Society.

According to court documents, the UI Law School in Moscow held a “moment of community” in April in response to an anti-LGBTQ slur left anonymously on a whiteboard in a UI Boise campus classroom.

Students, faculty and staff from the law school gathered in front of the Moscow campus to express support for all students. Perlot, Ryan Alexander and Mark Miller, members of the Christian Legal Society, were at the event and gathered in prayer to show support for the LGTBQ community.

While they were there, another student, labeled as “Jane Doe,” approached them to ask why the Christian Legal Society requires its officers to affirm that marriage is between one man and one woman.

Miller explained the Christian Legal Society adheres to the traditional biblical view of marriage and sexuality, which condemns homosexuality.

UI law professor Richard Seamon was also at the event and purportedly affirmed Miller’s explanation of the CLS position on marriage. The court documents say Seamon is the Christian Legal Society faculty adviser.

Jane Doe and several others later denounced the chapter’s actions at a panel with the American Bar Association. Alexander attended the meeting and argued the biggest discrimination on campus was against the group for its religious beliefs.

Days later, Perlot, Miller and Alexander received no-contact orders from the UI Office of Civil Rights and Investigations. On May 10, OCRI issued a limited-contact order against Seamon.

The order prohibited them from contacting Jane Doe, who reported to the OCRI that the plaintiff’s actions made her feel unsafe.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys, members of the nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, announced Wednesday that Perlot, Miller, Alexander and Seamon had favorably settled their lawsuit against the UI. The university was ordered to pay $90,000.

UI spokeswoman Jodi Walker issued a statement about the settlement Wednesday.

“The settlement, for the U of I is a business decision and in the best interest of our students, the university and the state of Idaho,” she wrote. “Litigation costs money and time as well as creates the potential for ongoing trauma to students. The university is often disadvantaged in such a case as laws prevent us from sharing the full story. This case, for us, has always been about safe access to education, which is paramount.”

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.