The University of Maine System Accused of Conspiring and Discriminating Against a Church Over This

A church called Calvary Chapel Belfast in Maine won a bid for a property sale to buy the Hutchinson Center, owned by the University of Maine System (UMS). The church was the highest bidder and won the right to buy the property.

Sellers don’t have to go with the highest bidder. The choice is theirs. But discriminating against the highest bidder because of that bidder’s religious beliefs is the wrong choice — an illegal choice for a school that receives taxpayers’ money.

A losing bidder, Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP), other losing bidders, and the local community complained about the church’s views on sexuality.

UMS made up an excuse to rescind the church’s bid and held a second bid, which WCAP won.

Liberty Counsel (LC), Calvary Chapel Belfast’s legal counsel, filed a lawsuit against UMS asking the court to stop the transfer of property to WCAP. The court rejected the request. From LC (emphasis added):

Although U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann denied Liberty Counsel’s previous request for a temporary restraining order, the property now comes with a notice to any potential purchaser that the church’s lawsuit may “unwind” any sale.
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Liberty Counsel’s lawsuit seeks to restore the church as the rightful awardee from the first, non-discriminatory bidding process.

The lawsuit will proceed, and the parties presented evidence in a hearing today.

“The University of Maine System engaged in discriminatory actions against Calvary Chapel Belfast,” said Mat Staver, founder and president of LC. “The church participated in the bidding processes in good faith, but the university unlawfully rescinded their winning bid over its religious beliefs under the guise of procedural deficiencies. Such discrimination is unlawful and may end up being a costly mistake for the University of Maine System.”

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