Deal Reached In Lawsuit Between Churches And Far-Right Arizona Groups

By Matthew Casey
Published: Wednesday, September 4, 2019 - 3:17pm
Updated: Thursday, September 5, 2019 - 9:29am

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A coalition of Valley churches filed a federal lawsuit in June that accused far-right Arizona groups of harassment and making threats as faith leaders helped migrant families dropped off by federal authorities.

Court records say a settlement has been reached between the churches and four out of roughly a dozen people named as defendants in the lawsuit. But the records have no specifics of an agreement, and lawyers from both sides did not return calls seeking comment.

The four defendants involved in a potential deal have been previously identified in court records as members of Patriot Movement AZ and AZ Patriots.

The multi-count lawsuit filed accused Patriot Movement AZ and AZ Patriots of conspiring to violate people’s civil rights, invasion of privacy and defamation. It asked a federal judge to order the groups to stay off church property and keep a distance.

Court records also say the judge has given churches extra time to serve two defendants with the lawsuit. Lawyers for the churches said in court documents that defendants have been avoiding service by not answering their door.   

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