A former court specialist is suing the Broward County, Fla., Clerk of Courts Howard Forman for terminating her after she refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses, a local Florida news station reports.
Yanicka Parker, who was employed by the Broward County Clerk’s Office for 12 years, is claiming religious discrimination in her lawsuit, Parker v. Forman, which was filed Sept. 16.
The lawsuit alleges that Forman mistreated Parker and violated her religious freedom rights since there were other clerks who were willing to issue the marriage licenses to same-sex couples so that Parker allegedly didn’t have to.
According to the report, Parker wanted to return to work earlier this year but was notified that she was fired. As part of her lawsuit, she’s “seeking unspecified damages for emotional harm, mental anguish, stress, anxiety and diminished reputation or stature.”
Marriage equality is legal throughout the United States in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Americans United and allied groups assert that government officials must serve all couples who meet the legal requirements for marriage.
