The Community Church of Chesterland Files Federal Lawsuit Against Members of Ohio Chapter of “White Lives Matter”

New York, NY, April 10, 2024 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and Jones Day today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against members of a White Lives Matter chapter in Ohio seeking compensatory and punitive damages for their involvement in a hate crime attack targeting the Community Church of Chesterland and three individual plaintiffs in March 2023. 

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleges that members of the local White Lives Matter (WLM) chapter conspired to violate and deprive the church of its civil and property rights by throwing a Molotov cocktail at the church building “with the intent to burn it to the ground.”  

“Using photos and evidence from their own statements, social media messages and hate literature, the complaint we filed today meticulously documents how members of a local White Lives Matter chapter conspired to deprive members of the Community Church of Chesterland of their church property,” said James Pasch, ADL Senior Director of National Litigation. “Their resultant actions in targeting a community church with a hate crime are not just morally abhorrent, they are a clear violation of federal civil rights and property law.”

“As alleged in the complaint, our clients represent a community of faith that is open and welcoming to all, especially those that have felt marginalized or excluded from other religious activities,” said Justin Herdman, a partner in Jones Day’s Cleveland Office and former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “This faith community was violently attacked by White Lives Matter simply because the church’s inclusivity conflicts with the WLM movement’s objective of establishing a 99% White population by forcibly eliminating anyone not meeting their stated desired racial, ethnic, religious, gender or sexual orientation demographics for the country.”

Names of defendants include Aimenn D. Penny – who was convicted of federal offenses stemming from the arson attack against the Community Church on March 25, 2023 – as well as other members of White Lives Matter. Aimenn Penny, 20, is currently serving an 18-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty last year to federal hate crime and arson offenses. 

The suit alleges the defendants conspired to interfere with the civil rights of church members by damaging religious property “because of their discriminatory animus toward Community Church’s religious beliefs and practices,” culminating with the intentional vandalism of church property with a Molotov cocktail, which caused damage to the exterior walls of the church building and a banner hung on the church’s exterior.  

Defendant Penny, in expressing his vile hate, had previously stated to law enforcement officials that “he believed African Americans were solely responsible for the high crime rate across the country” and he “looks forward to the civil war coming between races.” Defendant Penny “expressed his belief that the United States will not prosper until all the other races, or ‘weaknesses’ as he called them, are gone.” Shortly before the attack at Community Church, WLM members attended a rally “carrying swastika flags and shouting racial and homophobic slurs and ‘Heil Hitler.’” On March 24, 2023, Community Church received a voicemail with direct threats of violence directed at the Church due to the community’s support for LGBTQIA rights.

According to the ADL Center on Extremism, WLM Ohio is part of a white supremacist network of individuals who advocate for and promote white supremacy, white racial consciousness and the perceived interests of white children. 

WLM was responsible for 160 incidents of spreading racist propaganda in 2023, according to ADL, ranging from “White Lives Matter” stickers to spreading messages about the antisemitic and racist “great replacement conspiracy theory. 

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial on five counts, including conspiracy to interfere with civil rights; conspiracy to prevent freedom of access to a place of religious worship; civil liability for vandalism, desecration, or ethnic intimidation; trespass to land; and intentional infliction of emotional distress.  

“(The) defendants intentionally caused emotional distress to Community Church, its members and its clergy by threatening to protest outside of Community Church’s Drag Storytime event and by throwing Molotov cocktails” at the church, the suit states. “… Community Church is entitled to compensatory damages, punitive damages and damages for costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees.” 

The suit was filed on behalf of Community Church of Chesterland, by attorneys at Jones Day and ADL.  

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all. More at www.adl.org.

Jones Day is a global law firm with more than 2,400 lawyers in 40 offices across five continents. The Firm is distinguished by: a singular tradition of client service; the mutual commitment to, and the seamless collaboration of, a true partnership; formidable legal talent across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions; and shared professional values that focus on client needs.