St. Louis, Mo., Oct 2, 2012 / 01:18 am
A federal district court in Missouri has dismissed a Catholic businessman's lawsuit that contends that the HHS mandate violates his religious freedom, but his lawyers say the decision is so flawed that it takes a position more extreme than the Obama administration and will not stand on appeal.
"Obviously we're disappointed in this judge's decision, but this is just the end of round one. No one expected that this case would end at the district court level, no matter who won," Francis J. Manion, senior counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice, told CNA Oct. 1.
Manion said the businessman's lawyers are "very optimistic" about success on appeal because "the basis of the court's ruling is so remarkably flawed from a legal and logical statement that we don't think the Court of Appeals will uphold it."
"We've already filed our notice of appeal today," he said.