Florist finally settles with same sex couple eight years after refusing to work their wedding

Couple plan to donate settlement amount to LGBT+ advocacy group

Barronelle Stutzman refused to provide flowers to a gay couple in 2013 (Screengrab/Youtube)

A florist in Washington state who refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding has reached a settlement with the couple after an eight-year legal battle.

Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, announced the settlement on Thursday, and said that she has paid $5,000 (around £3,700) to Robert Ingersoll. The deal allows her to “preserve her conscience” and does not force her to act against her religious beliefs, her lawyers said.

In 2013, the florist had refused to provide flowers to Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed for their wedding, saying that it would violate her “relationship with Jesus Christ”.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a non-profit organisation, brought an anti-discrimination lawsuit against Ms Stutzman on behalf of the couple. Washington attorney general Bob Ferguson filed a suit separately, saying that the florist had violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act.

In 2015, a lower court had ruled that Ms Stutzman broke a Washington law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Ms Stutzman challenged the ruling and took the case to both the state Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court. Washington’s top court ruled in favour of the couple in 2017. But the US Supreme Court vacated that ruling and sent the case back to the lower court for a review.

In 2019, the Washington Supreme Court ruled unanimously that state courts did not act with animosity toward religion when they ruled that Ms Stutzman broke the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

Ms Stutzman and the conservative advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom filed a review petition in 2019 before the US Supreme Court. But the Supreme Court refused to take up the case this July and left intact the state court rulings against Ms Stutzman. She had petitioned for a rehearing but will now withdraw that petition as part of her settlement with Mr Ingersoll and Mr Freed.

“We took on this case because we were worried about the harm being turned away would cause LGBTQ people,” the couple said in a statement. “We are glad the Washington Supreme Court rulings will stay in place to ensure that same-sex couples are protected from discrimination and should be served by businesses like anyone else.”

They added: “It was painful to be turned away and we are thankful that this long journey for us is finally over.”

The couple said that they will donate the settlement payment to an LGBT+ advocacy group, and match the amount in a donation of their own money.

Additional reporting by agencies