CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The Liberty Counsel is claiming victory for religious freedom in a case involving the right of missionaries to distribute religious literature as a means of spreading the gospel, Agape Press reported.
Attorney Mat Staver, president and general counsel at Liberty, filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Henry and Marie Mesarosh after the self-supporting missionaries were told by police they were breaking a city ordinance by placing gospel tracts on cars.
Police threatened to fine the couple if they did not stop placing the tracts on parked vehicles, according to the news report.
The city settled with the couple and agreed to pay damages, attorney's fees and costs, Staver said. The city will also repeal the ordinance and adopt a new one permitting distribution of literature.
The old ordinance made it illegal to place literature on automobiles unless there was someone in the car to accept it. Staver told the news service that while the couple was threatened with fines, a photo in the local newspaper showed a police officer placing a pamphlet on preventing auto theft on unattended vehicles.
