'Christmas Lawyer' who made international headlines when his extravagant festive lights display turned his entire neighborhood against him gets an early present
An attorney, who became known as the 'Christmas lawyer' after a massive lights display featuring a live nativity scene, camel and 700,000 lightbulbs attracted thousands of visitors to his Idaho home, could have his case heard by the Supreme Court.
Jeremy Morris from Hayden, just east of Spokane, Washington attracted both the fury of his neighbors and the attention of Apple TV+ which ended up featuring the row in a 2021 documentary 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas'.
In 2017, a jury found that his homeowners association (HOA) discriminated against him due to his religious beliefs by attempting to halt his Christmas display.
But a federal judge later overturned this verdict and ordered Morris to pay over $111,000 in legal fees to the HOA.
Jeremy Morris became known as the 'Christmas lawyer' after a massive lights display featuring a nativity scene, camel and 700,000 lights attracted thousands of people to his Idaho home
In 2017, a jury found that his homeowners association (HOA) discriminated against him due to his religious beliefs by attempting to halt his Christmas display
Morris then went on to contest the ruling in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which reviewed the case in June 2020.
Four years on, a three-judge panel has now issued a mixed ruling, favoring both the HOA and Morris in different aspects, but setting the stage for a new jury trial.
Morris, meanwhile, is 'absolutely' considering appealing to the Supreme Court first.
The Supreme Court receives over 7,000 case requests annually but typically hears fewer than 100.
'It was made clear that a jury could find … that there was a hostile atmosphere created, that our family was discriminated against', Jeremy Morris explained to Fox News regarding the decision.
'We can retry the case … and I do believe that we would win as we did before. If we were to strictly interpret this decision, people of any faith can be discriminated against. You can admit that you're discriminating against them,' Morris said.
'We all know that no court would do that, but a court just made it clear you can do that to a Christian.'
Despite legal threats from the HOA, he continued with his elaborate light show, a live nativity scene, and even a camel
Thousands came to view the bright sight consisting of 200,000 lights alongside costumed characters, musicians and a children's choir
An elaborate nativity scene was also part of the eye-catching display
The dispute began after Morris made an offer on a house following his first light show at his former home in Christmas 2014.
When he informed the West Hayden Estates HOA of his plans to repeat the event, the HOA attempted to prevent it, citing potential violations of community rules regarding size, noise, and brightness.
The HOA also expressed concerns about the event's impact on 'non-Christians' and the possibility of attracting 'undesirables.'
Morris argued that the HOA's actions constituted religious discrimination and moved into the house.
Despite legal threats from the HOA, he continued with his elaborate light show consisting of 200,000 lights alongside costumed characters, musicians, a children's choir, a live nativity scene, and even a camel.
Morris even rented a fleet of shuttle buses to bring visitors to the event while he recruited volunteers to direct traffic through the streets around his house.
Thousands of people from as far away as Canada and news crews from across the arrived over the course of five evenings to see the display which raised money for children's charities.
The conflict then escalated with reports of harassment and threats against Morris and his family.
Neighbors were accused of harassing spectators while another local resident was caught on camera offering to 'take care of him.'
In January 2017, Morris sued the HOA for religious discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.
Although a jury initially sided with Morris with a court ordering the HOA to pay him $75,000.
Neighbors painted Morris as an extremist bully who secretly recorded their conversations and obsessively documented other HOA members' alleged rule violations to build his case.
In a shocking twist Judge B. Lynn Winmill overturned the verdict, claiming the issue was the Morris family's violation of neighborhood rules, and not religious discrimination
When they appealed the decision, in a shocking twist Judge B. Lynn Winmill then overturned the verdict, claiming the issue was the Morris family's violation of neighborhood rules, and not religious discrimination, and ordered Morris to pay the HOA's legal fees of $111,000.
Winmill said the secret recordings showed Morris behaving in an 'aggressively confrontational' way and permanently banned him from staging a Christmas display without HOA permission.
The 9th Circuit's recent ruling has since confirmed the judge's reversal but also found evidence that the HOA's actions were partially motivated by Morris's religious expression.
The ruling was split, with a dissenting judge suggesting the HOA's behavior was more about making the Morris family unwelcome.
The HOA 'categorically denies it interfered with the Morrises' right to purchase and enjoy their home free from discrimination and has always strived to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for all residents,' attorney Peter Smith, wrote in a statement to Fox News.
Jeremy Morris is seen with his wife Kristy and his Christmas decorations at his home in Hayden, Idaho. He has been embroiled in a court battle with his HOA over the decorations
Morris has since moved out of Idaho and is now also planning to sue the Idaho State Bar for $10million for allegedly pressuring him to relinquish his legal license
'We look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate in court that the Association acted legally. We are confident that the legal proceedings will ultimately vindicate the Association and show that it has not created a hostile neighborhood for the Morrises.'
Despite the HOA's denying there were any discriminatory practices, the legal battle continues.
At one point, Morris said that he didn't want to take legal action even offering to waive his rights to proceed with a lawsuit if the HOA agreed to leave his family alone. But the HOA refused.
Morris, who has since moved out of Idaho, is also planning to sue the Idaho State Bar for $10 million for allegedly pressuring him to relinquish his legal license in exchange for dropping disciplinary charges related to comments he made about the judge in his case.
