San Antonio Evangelists Rejoice Over Religious Liberty Victory

SAN ANTONIO, May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Christian Evangelists Jose Muniz and Todd Leibovitz reached a settlement with the City of San Antonio and former police officer Craig Nash and current police officer Myron Oberheu resulting in the dismissal of their federal civil rights lawsuit today. The case had been pending for almost three years in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120523/DC12743LOGO-b)

In the written settlement agreement, the City now recognizes that the sharing of one's faith or a religious message and the peaceful distribution of religious literature on a public sidewalk is protected under the U.S. Constitution as well as the Texas Constitution.  Moreover, as a part of the settlement, the City made a settlement payment for Plaintiffs' attorneys fees.

"We are pleased that this matter has finally concluded and hope that its favorable resolution sends a strong message to government officials concerning protecting the First Amendment rights of citizens to publicly share their faith," said Jeff Mateer, Liberty Institute General Counsel.

On September 9, 2010, on behalf of Muniz and Leibovitz, Liberty Institute filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the City and their police officers had violated the Evangelists' constitutional rights by prohibiting them from engaging in peaceful and non-disruptive religious speech on the public sidewalks of San Antonio.  San Antonio police officers unlawfully arrested and imprisoned overnight Todd Leibovitz, a recent Bible College graduate, for peacefully speaking about his Christian faith and sharing passages from the Bible on a public sidewalk in San Antonio. They also unlawfully harassed and threatened with arrest Jose Muniz, a full time Christian minister, for sharing his faith and handing out religious literature on a public sidewalk in San Antonio.

About Liberty Institute
Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our nation's Founders. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

SOURCE Liberty Institute