4 Indiana cities seek dismissal of LGBT protections lawsuit

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Four Indiana cities have asked the Indiana Court of Appeals to overrule a judge's decision allowing conservative groups to go ahead with a lawsuit challenging anti-discrimination ordinances.

Officials in Indianapolis, Bloomington, Carmel and Columbus say the appeals court should take the case because it will cost the cities substantial expense to argue the lawsuit on its merits. The cities also allege the case involves substantial questions of law that have broad implications, the (Bloomington) Herald-Times reports (http://bit.ly/2h9JUnW ).

The cities' ordinances include protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

An attorney from Terre Haute, Jim Bopp, represents the conservative groups and originally filed the lawsuit in December 2015. The groups argue that the local ordinances are too vague and lack definition of certain terms.

The lawsuit also argues the ordinances violate First Amendment rights and rights protected by the Indiana Constitution, including by violating the religious freedom of evangelical Christians who oppose same-sex marriage.

The cities are appealing a decision by Hamilton County Superior Judge Steven Nation, who rejected their requests that the lawsuit be dismissed.

"Defendants will be forced, at considerable expense of time and resources to these municipalities and their respective taxpayers, to defend against plaintiffs' claims," the cities argued in their motion to appeal.

The ordinances are being challenged by the Indiana Family Institute, Indiana Family Action and the American Family Association of Indiana.

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com