Tennes returned to … Tennes claims he's being unfairly punished for his religious beliefs. "Hosting weddings at our home and in the backyard of our farm have nothing to do with the city of East Lansing. Whitmer asks Michigan legislature to pass $100M stimulus package, Lawmaker supports the $100 million stimulus package, Michigan restaurant leaves franchise over virus restrictions, Police: Man trapped beneath car that crashed into his home, Local businesses find success in Small Business Saturday, Detroit Lions fire GM Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia, Country Mill Farms vs City of East Lansing.pdf, Farmer suing East Lansing after being kicked out of farmer's market, Country Mill farmer requesting to be let back into farmer's market, Judge: City wrong to ban farmer over gay marriage views, Controversial vendor back at East Lansing Farmer's Market, Local farmer takes case against East Lansing to federal court. If you are looking for the latest news, go to eastlansinginfo.news and update your bookmarks accordingly! The Charlotte-based orchard Country Mill sued the City of East Lansing after the City’s management refused to allow them to return as a vendor. You are on eastlansinginfo.org, ELi's old domain, which is now an archive of news (as of early April, 2020). East Lansing’s Farmers Market opened this past Sunday for the 2019 season, and Country Mills was in attendance again. News of the case has gone national, as Tennes has been defended by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a powerhouse Christian religious legal rights group. Results of a Freedom of Information Act request received today show that, through April 2019, the City paid the law firm of Plunkett Cooney $176,594 for legal defense in the Country Mill case, and paid the firm of contracted City Attorney Tom Yeadon an additional $5,589. Judge Maloney granted and denied part of each claim, setting the table for the trial in September of 2020. Judge orders East Lansing & Country Mill Farms to trial, Gov. The Charlotte-based orchard Country Mill sued the City of East Lansing after the City’s management refused to allow them to return as a vendor. News 10 and wilx.com will continue to keep you updated as it heads towards trial. East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas responded at the time, saying the decision was based on his actions, not his beliefs, saying "It's got nothing to do with their free speech it has to do with their business practices.". Nor does it have anything to do with the produce that we sell," Tennes told wilx.com in 2017. East Lansing voters were asked by City Council to help with the financial crisis by passing an income tax, which they did in 2018. ELi reported before the vote that Plunkett Cooney, representing East Lansing in the Country Mills case, donated $2,500 to the “vote yes” income tax campaign. Read more about the details of the case in a recent report by the Lansing State Journal. Tennes and his family are Catholic. This is in addition to our Pick a Peck for People Program that we host every fall where you, our customers, picked over 5400 pounds of apples in just fours hours on November 1st, 2020. On September 15, 2017 a federal judge ruled that the City of East Lansing must allow Country Mill Farms reentry into city farmer’s markets, claiming that the city of East Lansing’s rejection of the farm’s vendor application “likely violates their freedom from speech retaliation and their free exercise of religion.” The two-year legal battle between East Lansing and the owner of Country Mill Farms in Charlotte will go to trial next fall. Tuesday, June 23, 2020 Description: City of East Lansing officials exiled Steve Tennes and his popular family business, Country Mill Farms, after he posted on Facebook that he follows the Catholic Church’s teachings regarding marriage when hosting weddings at his family farm. In his remarks preceding the ceremonial ringing of the market bell, Mayor Mark Meadows noted that “East Lansing celebrates Pride Month” and was the first city in the nation to offer civil rights protections to its gay, lesbian, and bi citizens. A lawsuit against the City of East Lansing by a farmers’ market vendor has cost East Lansing taxpayers over $182,000 in legal bills so far, and the case is potentially far from over. Both sides asked him to issue a summary judgment on the case. You ... We'll pick and bag up the apples to give to the Greater Lansing Food Bank. That followed a Facebook post by Country Mill’s owner Stephen Tennes indicating he would not perform same-sex marriages at their Charlotte orchard for religious reasons. Country Mill Farms 4648 Otto Rd. The two-year legal battle between East Lansing and the owner of Country Mill Farms in Charlotte will go to trial next fall. East Lansing has received thousands of angry messages about the City’s stance from around the country as conservative Christian rights organizations and broadcasters have framed the issue as a major First Amendment case. Meanwhile, the City of East Lansing has been facing a financial crisis, with City Council recently arguing about amounts as small as $7,000 in the forthcoming budget. Yeadon’s firm and Plunket Cooney were listed among the 16 firms specifically being invited to apply. Charlotte, MI 48813 Phone: (517) 543-1019 Visit Website Members of Council, including Meadows and Council member Ruth Beier, have said they support paying to defend the lawsuit because of what they see as a core civil rights issue. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Maloney issued an order Wednesday setting the trial for September 14, 2020. Tonight’s City Council agenda includes passing a resolution “proclaiming June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month and encouraging individuals to participate in Pride Day.”.