U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. City of Farmersville, Texas (E.D. Tex.)
On April 16, 2019, the Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas filed a complaint and entered into a settlement agreement resolving United States v. City of Farmersville, Texas (E.D. Tex.). The complaint alleged that the City violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) when, in July 2017, it denied an application by the Islamic Association of Collin County (Islamic Association) to build a cemetery. After the City denied the Islamic Association’s application to build a religious cemetery, the United States opened an investigation of the City’s actions in September 2017. In August 2018, the United States notified the City that it had concluded that the City had violated RLUIPA and intended to file suit, and offered the City an opportunity to negotiate a resolution. In September 2018, the City and the Islamic Association entered into a separate agreement allowing for the approval of the cemetery and in December 2018, the City approved the Islamic Association’s application to develop the land as a cemetery. The United States’ complaint also alleges that the City’s denial of the Islamic Association’s application to develop the property as a cemetery imposed a substantial burden on the Islamic Association’s religious exercise and discriminated against the Islamic Association on the basis of religion. As part of the agreement, the City has agreed to provide training to its officials and employees about their obligations under RLUIPA and to notify the public about the City’s compliance with RLUIPA in its zoning and land use actions.
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