His act of defiance puts him at the center of one of the sharpest church versus state divides in recent American history. Arrayed against him and a handful of other churches were Gov. Gavin Newsom, a disciple of government lockdowns for COVID-19, and other state and Riverside County officials.
The battle over religious freedom eventually took Mr. Moffatt to the Supreme Court, where he and other church leaders prevailed. That outcome, however, was in grave doubt when he first decided to take a stand.
“The orders began to trickle down through government, and we knew we had a decision to make,” Mr. Moffatt said. “As for what is ‘essential,’ obviously we think and believe churches are essential. This is something imperative to people of faith. We decided to stay open.”
Latest California AB5-related decision spurs new appeals court arguments
freightwaves.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freightwaves.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
James Moffatt, church pastor, stood up against shutdown
washingtontimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtontimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Calif. Stores Not Owed Defense Of Fraud Suit, 9th Circ. Says
Law360 (April 15, 2021, 6:43 PM EDT) The Ninth Circuit affirmed Thursday that a California law barring insurance for unfair competition actions relieved a Starr Insurance Cos. unit from having to defend the operator of the Curacao retail chain against the state s claims that it engaged in predatory business tactics, spurning the retailer s argument that the law is unconstitutional.
A unanimous three-judge panel of the appellate court left intact a California federal court s ruling that Starr Indemnity and Liability Co. does not have to defend Curacao operator Adir International LLC and its CEO, Ron Azarkman, in the underlying action filed in 2017 by then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra..
Cyberattacks on Health Insurers Continue
healthcareinfosecurity.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from healthcareinfosecurity.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.