A Christian ministry that provides foster care services to victims of sex trafficking has reached a six-figure settlement with a major Ohio county after it was previously excluded from receiving government funding because of its policy of only hiring people who share its religious beliefs.
In a statement Tuesday, Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal nonprofit specializing in religious freedom cases, announced that Montgomery County, Ohio, had agreed to pay over $120,000 in attorneys’ fees after excluding Gracehaven, a Christian organization it previously excluded from its foster care system.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will pay $120,460 to ADF, which represents Gracehaven.
The latest development in the case comes a year after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio’s Western Division at Dayton granted Gracehaven a preliminary injunction allowing it to secure a contract with the county to receive federal funds to care for female victims of sex trafficking as litigation continued.
Gracehaven alleged that Montgomery County declined to renew its contract to provide foster care services in 2024 because of its policy of only hiring people who share its religious beliefs, thereby violating the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ministry filed a lawsuit against the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors as well as the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services and its leadership.
Judge Michael Newman agreed that Gracehaven was likely to prove that Montgomery County had violated its constitutional rights, citing precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Carson v. Makin decision. He insisted that the landmark ruling determined that the First Amendment protects against “indirect coercion or penalties on the free exercise of religion, not just outright prohibitions” and the exclusion of “religious observers from otherwise available public benefits.”
As explained in the settlement agreement, both Montgomery County and Gracehaven have agreed to extend the terms of the preliminary injunction, which included the initial establishment of a contract lasting through Dec. 31, 2025, and a renewal that will last through Dec. 31, 2027. The settlement agreement, approved last month, was followed by a stipulation of dismissal, bringing the lawsuit to an end.
Both legal counsel for ADF and the leadership of Gracehaven reacted favorably to the settlement and the end of the litigation.
“The government can’t deny public benefits to a Christian ministry that is caring for young survivors of sex trafficking solely because of its religious character and exercise,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jake Reed, in a statement provided to The Christian Post.
“We’re pleased to favorably settle this lawsuit. The county agreed that it cannot exclude Gracehaven from the foster care system simply because it hires those who share its faith.”
Gracehaven Director Scott Arnold expressed gratitude for ADF’s “help in securing this victory,” adding, “Gracehaven empowers young girls rescued from sex trafficking by helping them thrive with dignity in a renewed life.”
“Our team of Christian employees is paramount to this work,” said Arnold in the statement. “As we help these girls work through their pain and trauma and move toward living healthy, fulfilling lives, our ability to hire like-minded people of faith to carry out our mission is essential.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
