The Washington state Attorney General's office is suing a Richland florist for refusing to sell flowers for a gay wedding, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.
The state alleges that Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers, refused to provide wedding flowers to long-time customer Robert Ingersoll, based on her opposition to same-sex marriage.
Stutzman's attorneys say they will challenge any state action to enforce Washington laws.
“Under the Consumer Protection Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against customers on the basis of sexual orientation. If a business provides a product or service to opposite-sex couples for their weddings, then it must provide same-sex couples the same product or service,” said Attorney General Bob Ferguson, in a statement.
The Attorney General's Office wants a permanent injunction requiring Arlene's Flowers to comply with the state's consumer protection laws and also wants $2,000 in fines for every violation of the law.
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.