News Release
For Immediate Release: 4.30.25
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Court Hears Appeal from Dad’s Place to Stop City of Bryan, Ohio’s Harassment of Church’s Religious Efforts
Attorneys argue that the City’s actions violate the Church’s rights under the Ohio Constitution.
Toledo, OH—Today, First Liberty Institute and attorneys from Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, LLP, Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP, and Spengler Nathanson presented argument in the Sixth District Court of Appeals of Ohio asking the court to reverse a lower court’s decision that would allow the City of Bryan to stop Dad’s Place’s efforts to serve people with desperate needs.
“Like churches throughout history, Dad’s Place is a place of safety for those in desperate need,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute. “We are hopeful that the Sixth District will recognize that churches caring for those in need should be encouraged and affirmed, not punished or prosecuted.”
In March 2023, Dad’s Place began operating its ministry 24-hours a day to serve the most vulnerable in its community. For months, Dad’s place did so without incident. However, in November 2023 as winter began in Northern Ohio, Bryan city officials issued an ultimatum to the church: cease operating 24-hours a day or face crippling penalties. The city demanded the church install an expensive fire suppression system, but the city does not require all of its motels, most of its apartment complexes, and even a senior living facility to install fire suppression systems in their buildings.
After Dad’s Place refused to force those within its care out onto the streets, city officials began engaging in a campaign to harass, intimidate, and shut down Dad’s Place and even criminally charging Pastor Chris Avell. Eventually, city officials sought, and obtained, an injunction against Dad’s Place just before Christmas in 2024, which this case seeks to appeal. In a separate suit, the City of Bryan also prosecuted the church’s pastor, Chris Avell, securing a fine and 60-day suspended jail sentence. With the support of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, in February, a panel of judges on the Court of Appeals of Ohio, Sixth Appellate District granted a motion to stay the imposition of the criminal sentence, allowing Dad’s Place to remain open during the winter months. General Yost has submitted three briefs in support of Dad’s Place.
An appeal of that conviction to the Sixth District is also underway by Dad’s Place’s attorneys.
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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