News Release
For Immediate Release: 9.25.26
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Victory for Pastor Facing Jail for Keeping Church Doors Open 24 Hours a Day
Ruling comes after a long battle with the City of Bryan over its repeated attempts to shut down a ministry that provides safety to the vulnerable.
Bryan, OH—Today, a criminal conviction regarding the fire code violations against Pastor Chris Avell of Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio was vacated by Ohio’s Sixth District Court of Appeals. The court concluded that the trial court failed to rule on Pastor Avell’s constitutional defenses that the city was violating his rights under both the U.S. and Ohio Constitutions and remanded the case to the trial court to consider the constitutional defenses in the first instance. Earlier this year the Court of Common Pleas of Williams County issued a final order dismissing with prejudice a lawsuit brought by city officials in Bryan, Ohio, seeking to shut down the religious activities of Dad’s Place and Pastor Chris Avell based on the same fire code violations.
Pastor Avell is represented by First Liberty Institute and the law firms Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP; Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP; and Spengler Nathanson PLL.
You can read the opinion here.
“We are grateful that the court vacated the criminal conviction,” said Ryan Gardner, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “Pastor Chris has the constitutional right to operate his church free from the government imposing draconian fire code regulations. We hope that this latest ruling will put an end to the years-long legal battle that Pastor Chris has endured. We are grateful to all the work of our co-counsels in this case.”
Dad’s Place is a church in northwest Ohio that operates 24-hours a day to serve the most vulnerable in its community. For almost three years, the City of Bryan, Ohio has attempted to shut down the Church’s ministry through multiple criminal and civil proceeding, including 18 criminal zoning charges, middle-of-the-night fire inspections, and both criminal and civil fire code prosecutions. And while city officials demanded the church install an expensive fire suppression system, the city does not require any of its motels, most of its apartment complexes, and even a senior living facility to install fire suppression systems in their buildings.
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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.
