In a significant development, three Christians in Idaho have received a sum of $300,000 in a settlement after the city of Moscow was found to have wrongfully arrested them for participating in religious services amid COVID-19 restrictions.
The individuals—Gabriel Rench, Sean Bohnet, and his wife Rachel Bohnet—had initiated a civil lawsuit against the city, claiming their First Amendment rights were violated during a religious gathering in 2020, according to The Spokesman-Review.
Back in September 2020, the trio took part in a religious assembly, labeled the “psalm sing,” at the Moscow City Hall parking lot.
The event, organized by Christ Church, was a response to the city’s enforcement of mask mandates and social distancing guidelines during the pandemic.
The police in Moscow booked Rench, the Bohnets, and two others for allegedly breaching the city’s public health emergency order.
Besides the citations, Rench was also taken into custody for purportedly refusing to identify himself to police.
Sean and Rachel Bohnet experienced similar circumstances, getting arrested on suspicions of resisting or obstructing officers by allegedly not providing their identification.
However, in January 2021, the city dropped the charges, recognizing that the public health order, though applicable to everyone, failed to explicitly state its enforcement on activities such as speech, press, assembly, and religious gatherings protected by the Idaho and U.S. constitutions.
Following the dismissal of the charges, Rench and the Bohnets lodged their lawsuit against the city in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho in March 2021.
The following year, U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr. declined Moscow’s plea for summary judgment and urged the city to negotiate an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiffs.
Expressing his satisfaction over the settlement, Sean Bohnet stated, “I’m happy that we came to a settlement and the case is over.”
Nevertheless, he clarified that monetary compensation doesn’t necessarily reflect an apology on the part of the city.
The 2020 incident placed the Bohnets under public scrutiny, leading to frustrations over perceived misrepresentations.
“What’s frustrating is when slander and lies get involved,” Sean Bohnet said. “That’s the frustrating part when people slander and tell lies about us, which happened.”
On the other hand, Gabriel Rench expressed disappointment regarding “the city’s refusal to talk to me individually and to actually have a productive conversation about their actions during 2020.”
“This wasn’t a minor thing. This was pretty egregious what the city did, and what the cops did. They all violated their oaths of office,” she said.
Despite unsuccessful attempts to converse with Mayor Art Bettge and city council members Gina Taruscio, Rench did manage to speak with Moscow Police Chief James Fry and a few officers.
In his words, “This is why I don’t take their admission, their tacit admission, seriously, because they really don’t care about justice.”
The city, in collaboration with its liability insurance provider, Idaho Counties Risk Management Program (ICRMP), finally reached a settlement on June 2.
The $300,000 settlement is divided as follows: half to cover attorney fees and the remaining sum, $50,000 each, for the three plaintiffs, who will have to pay taxes on the received amount.
In a recent press release, the city stated, “ICRMP determined that a financial settlement in the case was the best course of action to dispose of the suit and avoid a protracted litigation proceeding. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, ICRMP will pay a total settlement amount of $300,000 and all claims against the City and the named City employees will be dismissed with prejudice along with a release of all liability.”
Finally, the city expressed relief at reaching the settlement, framing it as the end of a contentious issue stemming from the “unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the City’s efforts to protect the public during an exceptionally trying time.”
