fter more than a year of legal battles, Pastor Telsa DeBerry and the congregation of Opulent Life Church can finally put the past struggles behind them and look to the future in their new space in downtown Holly Springs, Miss.

In preparation for trial set to begin April 8, Liberty Institute Director of Litigation Hiram Sasser and our volunteer attorneys traveled to Oxford, Miss., for a pre-trial conference last week. During these talks, the two sides were able to reach a settlement, allowing Opulent Life to permanently relocate to the downtown area of Holly Springs.

This case began when the church sought to rent a larger space in the downtown area of Holly Springs in order to accommodate a growing congregation. The city told the church it must first get the approval of 60 percent of local property owners and then the town’s mayor. This ordinance applied only to churches and other religious groups.

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