NJ Christian’s speech rights restored

City officials agree to ADF motion barring enforcement of permit scheme that requires citizens obtain permission before distributing literature
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CAMDEN, N.J. — City of Wildwood officials have agreed to a motion filed by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund that will prevent the city from enforcing a permit requirement against a Christian man told he could not distribute religious literature on a public sidewalk.  ADF attorneys filed the motion shortly after they filed suit against the city on behalf of Eric Wollod last month.  The city agreed to the motion while it negotiates settlement of the case.

“Christians shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs,” said ADF Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt.  “The city is to be commended for respecting the constitutional rights of citizens.  We are pleased that Mr. Wollod will now be allowed to continue to exercise his First Amendment rights without fear of arrest, but this is a victory for all those who value their ability to speak freely without a government permit.”

On June 6, 2008, Eric Wollod, a professing Christian, attempted to peacefully distribute religious literature on a public sidewalk in the city of Wildwood.  A police officer stopped Wollod, telling him that he would need to obtain a permit in order to continue his activities. Wollod left the area out of fear of arrest and has not returned.

An official at the mayor’s office originally said that a city ordinance permits literature distribution in only five areas of the city’s boardwalk.  The official further stated that Wollod would need to submit a detailed letter to the city in order to obtain a permit to distribute literature in any of those areas.

ADF-allied attorney Michael P. Laffey of the Messina Law Firm in Holmdel is serving as local counsel on the case, Wollod v. City of Wildwood, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith.  Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.