ACLU Comment on Settlement of Arlene’s Flowers v. Ingersoll and Freed

Affiliate: ACLU of Washington
November 18, 2021 9:45 am

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WASHINGTON — A settlement has been reached in Arlene’s Flowers v. Ingersoll and Freed, the case where a flower shop refused to provide Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed flowers for their wedding.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for certiorari in July 2021, and the flower shop filed a petition for rehearing. Under the settlement, the parties agreed that the flower shop would withdraw the petition for rehearing. The settlement leaves in place the two unanimous decisions from the Washington Supreme Court that the Constitution does not grant a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people. The couple will donate a settlement payment by Arlene’s Flowers of $5,000 to a local PFLAG chapter, and the couple plans to personally match the donation.

The following statement is from Freed and Ingersoll:

“We took on this case because we were worried about the harm being turned away would cause LGBTQ people. 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. We are also pleased to support our local PFLAG’s work to support LGBTQ people in the Tri-Cities area. It was painful to be turned away and we are thankful that this long journey for us is finally over.”


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