A self-proclaimed “Christmas lawyer” who put up an elaborate Christmas display in defiance of his former homeowners association is asking the nation's highest court to consider the neighborhood dispute.
“Nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will sit down on Christmas Day to read aloud a case about Dolly the Camel, 700,000 Christmas lights, a children's choir and other fundraisers to help families with children suffering from cancer. Who would have thought there would be a real Santa Claus testifying in federal court,” Jeremy Morris told Fox News Digital in an email.
Mr. Morris, an attorney, gained international fame in 2015 when he hosted a five-day holiday light show that drew thousands of revelers to his former home outside Hayden, Idaho. Some neighbors were disappointed.
The dispute between Mr. Morris and the HOA over allegations of religious discrimination then reached the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which earlier this year ruled in part in Mr. Morris' favor and in part in favor of the HOA.
The HOA had until Dec. 19 to file a challenge to Morris' latest petition, but declined. Lawyer Peter Smith said that's because a judge was unlikely to take the case. The Supreme Court is asked to review more than 7,000 cases each year, but typically agrees to hear fewer than 100.
“[T]His case does not warrant the court's attention given that it is an isolated dispute between a homeowner and the homeowners association,” Smith, who represents the HOA, wrote on FOX News Digital. Ta.
Origin of Christmas light fight
Morris made an offer on a house near Hayden shortly after hosting his first light show at his previous home on Christmas 2014.
He informed the West Hayden Estates Homeowners Association that he planned to repeat the event, and the HOA would immediately seek to eliminate the Christmas display, likely violating three sections of the community's Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions. he claimed. In a letter sent to Morris in January 2015, the board said the event would be too big, too noisy and too bright.
Importantly, the letter also considered whether “non-Christians” would be offended by the exhibit. In his reply letter, Mr. Morris argued that there was nothing in the CC&Rs that applied to his case and that the board was engaging in religious discrimination. His family closed up and moved out.
When Morris starts hanging hundreds of thousands of light bulbs in his home like Clark Griswold, the HOA's attorney threatens him with legal action if he hosts an event without board approval. I sent a letter.
Morris did not back down. Musicians, a children's choir, live nativity music and even camels greeted the audience. Morris rented a shuttle bus to transport visitors to the event, and volunteers drove them through the streets surrounding the home, according to court documents.
Tensions were high for the Morris family's 2016 show. Neighbors have been accused of harassing spectators, and Morris said her family has received threats, some of the face-to-face confrontations were caught on camera, and that neighbors have been accused of “taking care of themselves.” He said he had also received threats, such as offering to do so.
Morris previously told FOX News Digital that he did not want to pursue legal action and offered to waive his right to pursue the lawsuit if the HOA agreed to leave the family alone. He said the HOA refused and the statute of limitations was nearing on the original letter.
The jury unanimously sided with Morris in the discrimination case, but the judge reversed the verdict.
Morris filed suit in January 2017, alleging religious discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The jury unanimously sided with him and ordered the HOA to pay $75,000.
However, Judge B. Lynn Winmill reversed the verdict and took the unusual step of ordering Morris to pay the HOA more than $111,000 in attorney fees, stating that the case was not about religious discrimination, but rather that the Morris family concluded that violation of neighborhood rules was the cause.
A three-judge panel allowed Winmill to overturn the jury verdict, finding that a 2015 HOA letter prioritized “secular individuals” purchasing the Morrises' home. concluded that a reasonable jury should not have found that.
But the commission also found that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's conclusion that the HOA board's actions were “motivated, at least in part, by the Morrises' religious expression,” according to the more than 100-page decision. I decided that there was.
The Ninth Circuit's decision granted a new trial, but Morris instead appealed to the Supreme Court. “Several attorneys may be named” to represent him, he said, noting that the case involves several constitutional rights and that his case will go before the justices. He said he hopes it will be done.
“The right to celebrate Christmas according to the traditions of our family's faith, the right to use our property to express that tradition of Christian faith, and the right to use our property to express that Christian faith tradition, and a unanimous jury vote to protect our rights after 15 hours of deliberation. “The right to a verdict, all of these are core protections of the Constitution and 250 years of American jurisprudence,” he wrote.
Smith previously told FOX News Digital that the HOA “categorically denies interfering with the Moreys' right to purchase and enjoy their home without discrimination” and “fosters an inclusive and welcoming environment for all residents. I have always strived to do so.”
According to 2021 data, approximately 349,000 Idahoans live in areas governed by HOAs, representing just under 20% of the state's total population. Regional Association Research Foundation.
