Northern Idaho family wins four-year ‘war on Christmas’ lawsuit against neighbor
Published at | Updated at
HAYDEN — A Northern Idaho family has won $75,000 in a lawsuit after claiming their Homeowners Association discriminated against them for religious beliefs when they tried to stop them from hosting an annual nativity event.
A jury unanimously agreed with Jeremy and Kristy Morris, known for putting on a festive extravaganza in the five days leading up to Christmas, after overwhelming evidence and witness accounts showed there was an Ebenezer Scrooge among HOA members.
The couple, who have three young children, decorate with bright lights, used hymns, Santa Claus and the nativity. Thousands of visitors attend the yearly event each holiday season.
But even before the family moved into their Ferndale Drive home, the HOA had already shared a list of problems in response to Morris asking how the event could be run with minimal upset.
In a 2014 letter they wrote: ‘It’s not the intention of the Board to discourage you from becoming part of our great neighborhood, but we do not wish to become entwined in any expensive litigation to enforce long standing rules and regulations and fill our neighborhood with the hundreds of people and possible undesirables. We have worked hard to keep our area peaceful, quiet, and clean…
‘And finally, I am somewhat hesitant in bringing up the fact that some of our residents are non-Christians or of another faith. And I don’t even want to think of the problems that could bring up.’