Municipal and Government Team Successfully Defends Alexandria Township in Religious Discrimination Case

John Gillespie and our Municipal and Government Practice Area recently defended Alexandria Township in a religious discrimination matter where the Superior Court of New Jersey dismissed the defendants' lawsuit. In the case, the Plaintiff, the Latter House of Glory alleged discrimination as it received a religious tax exemption in 2014 but was denied the same exemption each year from 2018 to 2023. The Plaintiff appealed the denials to the Hunterdon County Tax Board and subsequently to the Tax Court of New Jersey. They alleged that the Township’s refusal to grant it tax-exempt status caused damage. Additionally, they claimed that the Township’s demands of financial information relating to the tax-exempt status violated its constitutional rights.

The Township argued that the tax-exempt status was denied because private business activities took place on the property and constituted the primary use of the property. Our team, led by John Gillespie, successfully argued that the Tax Court was the court of record as it was an issue in which expertise in matters involving taxation is desirable, and that the Defendant’s denial of the tax-exempt status was constitutional and just. The court agreed, granting our motion for summary judgement and dismissing the plaintiff's case. The Township's counterclaim, however, will now be allowed to go forward. You can find the court’s full opinion HERE.