Judge Denies Belfast Church’s Request to Halt Sale of UMaine Property in Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

A federal judge has denied a Belfast church’s request to halt the sale of a former University of Maine (UMaine) property after the school reneged on their initial decision to sell to the church.

Calvary Chapel Belfast’s legal team has subsequently signaled that they intend to continue fighting the school’s ability to sell the former Hutchinson Center to another buyer while their case is pending before the courts.

Federal Judge Stacey Neumann ruled against the church Friday morning, denying their request for a temporary restraining order that would halt the sale of the property to another buyer while the church’s legal challenge plays out.

Calvary Chapel Belfast filed a lawsuit against the school in late November after UMaine went back on their offer to sell the property to the church, alleging that the decision was reversed due to the “church’s scriptural beliefs on marriage and sexuality.”

Liberty Counsel — a self-described Christian ministry organization representing the Belfast church — argued that UMaine “unlawfully conspired and discriminated against the church on the basis of religion in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”

UMaine, on the other hand, has said that it changed it’s mind because the original evaluation criteria used “did not adequately allow for the full financial impacts of proposals to be considered,” particularly with respect to the internet access hub located at the site.

[RELATED: UMaine Upholds Decision to Renege Hutchinson Center Sale to Calvary Chapel Belfast]

Housed within the Hutchinson Center is an internet access hub, strategically located such that it can help provide internet connectivity throughout the state.

Following a second request-for-proposals, UMaine announced that Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP) — a 501(c)3 funded almost entirely through taxpayer dollars — $3.06 million for the property, about half a million more than the appraised value of $2.52 million.

The Future of the Hutchinson Center Steering Committee/Waterfall Arts offered $1.8 million for the property, and Calvary Chapel Belfast offered $1.1 million.

All three bidders agreed to lease the space currently housing an internet access center back to the University of Maine System (UMS) for five years at no cost.

[RELATED: Hutchinson Center Sold to Taxpayer-Funded Nonprofit After UMaine Renege’s on Church’s Offer]

WCAP intends to use the property as a community resource hub that houses the organization’s programs and serves as a community center.

Had their offer been accepted, Calvary Chapel Belfast intended to use the Hutchinson Center to house its addiction recovery efforts, as well as its homeschool co-op program.

In the ruling released Friday, Judge Neumann acknowledged “evidence of religious hostility” from the locals, as well as those who did not initially have their offers accepted, the church did not provide “direct or circumstantial evidence” connecting the withdrawal of their offer to this backlash.

“Though there is evidence of religious hostility from the community and from the disappointed bidders, there is no evidence of any animus on behalf of any defendant, nor are the alleged procedural anomalies merely pretext to cover for such animus or to bow to public pressure,” the decision said.

The Maine Wire has submitted a Freedom of Access Act request to the university looking for records that would shine light on how it decided to reverse its decision and what kinds of pressure university employees may have faced from outside parties. The system has not turned over any documents yet.

[RELATED: UMaine Rescinds Offer to Sell Hutchinson Center to Belfast Church]

In a statement shared with WABI, Samantha Warren — a spokesperson from the UMaine System — indicated that the school continues to assert that it’s decision was the result of a fair process and was not discriminatory toward the church.

“The University of Maine System has strongly maintained it did not discriminate and that no party has been harmed by the transparent, competitive process through which we have sought to sell the Hutchinson Center, even if they may be disappointed by our decision to award the right to negotiate sale terms and conditions to a local organization that offered more than double the purchase price of any other bidder,” Warren said.

“We welcome today’s decision by the Court, which affirms the integrity of our process and our continued commitment to acting in the best interests of our public university system and the tuition and taxpayers of Maine,” said Warren. “The System will continue to defend itself in any further proceedings on this matter.”

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver issued a public statement in light of the court’s ruling, maintaining the allegations that the UMaine discriminated against Calvary Chapel Belfast in rescinding their offer.

“The University of Maine System engaged in discriminatory actions against Calvary Chapel Belfast,” Staver wrote.

“The church participated in the bidding processes in good faith, but the university unlawfully rescinded their winning bid over its religious beliefs under the guise of procedural deficiencies,” said Staver. “Such discrimination is unlawful and may end up being a costly mistake for the University of Maine System.”