Sorry for the dry style, this is written for radio news. Just wanted to get this out here.
A request by the American Civil Liberties Union for what amounts to a massive records dump from Lyndonville's Wildflower Inn was granted yesterday by a Caledonia Superior Court judge.
The Wildflower is being sued by the ACLU on behalf of a lesbian couple from New York who were denied a request to hold their wedding reception there.
The Wildflower Inn will now have to turn over the documents requested by the ACLU.
They include emails, telephone messages, and calendar notes related to special events requested by same sex couples.
The ACLU is also asking for the names and contact information of anyone serving as the Inn's wedding or events director for the past 10 years as well as documents related to communications with the Vermont Convention Bureau, the number of employees not related to owners Jim and Mary O'Reilly, and its annual gross and net revenues.
The O'Reillys have asked that the suit be dismissed, with their attorney claiming the Fair Housing and Public Accomodations Act violates their constitutional rights, which they say allow them to practice discrimination against same sex couples based on their religious beliefs.
