Jan 13, 2025
On January 30, just a few weeks from now, I will present oral argument before the Court of Appeals in our case defending Kim Davis. The Court must now decide if people can be civilly SUED for daring to exercise their religious freedom rights.
We expect this case to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it may also overturn the wrongfully decided Obergefell case, which started this whole “marriage” mess.
The facts of this case are simple. Two men couldn’t stop Kim Davis from winning religious accommodation rights for all Kentucky officials. So now they are trying to sue her into bankruptcy for daring to USE those rights.
Don’t let Christians be sued into bankruptcy for daring to use their religious freedom rights! Support our legal fund today and have your impact DOUBLED by a new Challenge Grant.
In December 2015, David Ermold and his “partner,” David Moore, landed a full spread in GQ magazine. They had become international superstars after repeatedly and publicly harassing Rowan County, KY, Clerk Kim Davis over her fight for her Christian religious accommodation rights.
The two Davids admitted in the magazine article that they had never even discussed marriage before they learned that Kim had stopped issuing marriage licenses to anyone while she awaited the KY governor’s response on her religious accommodation rights.
But after seeing a Facebook post about Kim’s actions, the couple grabbed camera phones and traveled to Kim’s office to video themselves harassing the soft-spoken born-again Christian.
“I put it [the first video] up around 11 at night,” Ermold told GQ. “By one o’clock in the morning, it was already starting to get some traction. I remember Dave went to the computer and said, “Are you happy now? We are the number one story on Reddit.”
“The next morning, Gawker had it, then The Advocate. By the time I got up, it already had 200,000 hits,” Ermold’s partner, David Moore, added.
The two Davids were getting “internet famous” for harassing Kim on video.
“When our video made The 700 Club,” Ermold gleefully told GQ, “that was, like, the highlight of my life.”
The two Davids could have traveled to any of the several county clerk’s offices within a short drive of Kim’s office where they would have received their “marriage” license almost immediately. But they didn’t.
Instead, the two Davids traveled to Kim’s office several more times to film themselves harassing Kim, then posting the videos to social media.
It worked. The two men not only became “internet famous” for harassing a Christian woman, but they also landed TWO full spreads in GQ magazine.
Defend Kim Davis & Religious Freedom!
Kim eventually won religious accommodation rights not only for herself but for all Kentucky clerks — but only after a local judge threw her in prison for six days. The two Davids received a marriage license from another clerk.
But apparently the two men missed the internet fame they had achieved by harassing Kim. Ermold even ran for office, trying to take Kim’s job, and landed another GQ interview. “Kim Davis Refused to Give Him a Marriage License, and Now He’s Coming for Her Job,” the GQ headline screamed.
But the people of Rowan County, KY, weren’t buying Ermold’s petty attempt to get back at Kim. Ermold lost the election. So, he decided to SUE Kim for daring to exercise religious freedom rights she had fought so hard to regain!
“I hate that word accommodation,” Ermold told GQ, revealing what this case is truly about — ending religious freedom, and punishing Christians who dare try to exercise their rights.
At first, Ermold claimed he was suing because Kim had hurt his feelings — an ironic statement considering the men’s actions were designed to harass, humiliate, and hurt Kim’s feelings.
But when it was pointed out in court that one cannot sue for “hurt feelings,” Ermold changed tactics, claiming he had lost his job due to Kim’s actions. But the human resource officer at Ermold’s former place of employment testified that simply was not true.
It didn’t matter though, because the very same judge who threw Kim in jail also gave improper instructions to the jury in Ermold’s lawsuit, resulting in a massive financial landfall for the two Davids — and looming bankruptcy for the humble county clerk just trying to live out her faith.
Liberty Counsel is appealing. The Appeals Court will hear oral arguments on January 30 — just a few weeks from now. After this Court appearance, we expect Kim’s case to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The looming question for the courts is this: Can a person be civilly sued for exercising their religious freedom rights?
In addition, we believe this case may have the power to overturn the wrongfully decided Obergefell case that started this whole mess.
We need YOUR HELP to ensure Kim isn’t bankrupted and to ensure that NO ONE can be sued into bankruptcy for exercising their religious freedom.
A new Challenge Grant has been established to fund our legal work. Support our legal fund today and have YOUR IMPACT DOUBLED by the grant.
Finally, please continue to pray for Kim and her family. In addition to the looming threat of bankruptcy, they continue to suffer death threats.
Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
P.S. We need your help to help those pleading for assistance. DOUBLE THE IMPACT OF YOUR GIFT with our Challenge Grant.
Sources:
Darby, Luke. “Kim Davis Refused to Give Him a Marriage License, and Now He’s Coming for Her Job.” GQ, December 6, 2017. GQ.com/story/kim-davis-coming-job.
Glazek, Christopher. “The Couple behind the Kim Davis Controversy.” GQ, December 7, 2015. GQ.com/story/kim-davis-gay-marriage-battle.
“Kim Davis Will Ask Court to Reverse Verdict in Ermold Case.” Liberty Counsel, January 2, 2024. LC.org/newsroom/details/010224-kim-davis-will-ask-court-to-reverse-verdict-in-ermold-case.