Church That Defied Gavin Newsom's COVID Rules to Get $800k in Legal Settlement

California and Los Angeles County have agreed to pay a church that repeatedly defied Governor Gavin Newsom's public health restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic $800,000 in a legal settlement.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of the settlement on Tuesday. The county and the state will each pay $400,000 to Sun Valley's Grace Community Church to settle a prolonged legal battle that began when the church refused to follow Newsom's COVID-19 restrictions last year.

The church was sued by the county for not following restrictions including a since-rescinded ban on indoor worship, while the church also sued the county and the state over the restrictions. County officials said that Tuesday's settlement was "responsible and appropriate" in light of a February Supreme Court ruling that found California could not enforce many of its pandemic restrictions on churches.

"After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that some public health safety measures could not apply to houses of worship, resolving this litigation is the responsible and appropriate thing to do," the county's counsel said in a statement. "From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County has been committed to protecting the health and safety of its residents."

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