Donna Dunbar Case

Meet the Dunbars

Donna Dunbar and her husband Clarence share a commitment to serving others rooted in their deeply-held religious beliefs. The Dunbars founded the Lighthouse Outreach Center, a soup kitchen ministering to the needs of the homeless. The center is still in operation today despite multiple setbacks due to burglary, arson, and a hurricane.

For their dedication of over 4,000 volunteer hours at the soup kitchen and in the community, President Obama awarded the Dunbars the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2010.

Board Outlaws Prayer and Religious Services from Common Areas

After moving into the Cambridge House condominiums in Port Charlotte, Florida, Donna began a small Bible study with some of her friends. They met in the condominium building’s social room, a common area available for residents to use for various recreational activities such as card games and birthday parties. Just three months after Donna began her small group Bible study, the then-treasurer for Cambridge House Board of Directors demanded that Mrs. Dunbar acquire insurance for the meeting, even though no other groups using the same room for secular activities were required to purchase insurance. Though she disputed the need for the insurance, she complied in hopes that this would be the end of the matter. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. The Board of Directors, without prior notice, adopted a resolution providing that “Prayers and other religious services, observations, or meetings of any nature shall not occur . . . in or upon any of the common elements.”

After adopting the policy, the Cambridge House management sent Mrs. Dunbar a letter announcing the rule’s passage and explaining that the new policy “prohibits Bible Study meetings in the Social Room.”

First Liberty Legal Action

Attorneys with First Liberty Institute partnered with our network attorneys to file a complaint with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development on behalf of Mrs. Dunbar against the Cambridge House Condominiums in Port Charlotte, Florida. The complaint states that residents have been denied equal access to the community’s social room for meetings based on their religious content and requests HUD investigate the matter and take all appropriate actions.

The Cambridge House board rescinded the rule pending the outcome of the HUD investigation, and through HUD’s mediation efforts, the parties reached a conciliation agreement that protects Mrs. Dunbar’s access to the social room for the weekly Bible study.

“I am thankful to First Liberty Institute for fighting on my behalf and am relieved that I can continue to meet with my friends to pray and study God’s word together. I am extremely thankful to our current board members who made it possible,” said Mrs. Dunbar.