In the wake of the Hobby Lobby Decision, Fresh Unlimited Inc, the parent of Freshway Foods, today won an appeals court ruling that qualifies it for the same treatment the high court approved in its June 30 Hobby Lobby decision allowing family-run businesses to claim a religious exemption from the requirement to include contraceptives in their health insurance plans.
This lawsuit is one of about 50 right now filed by for-profit businesses over religious objections to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010’s birth-control coverage mandate. The owners of the chain are Roman Catholic and said that complying with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate would require them to violate deeply held religious beliefs. The owners originally lost the lawsuit, but were holding off on appeals until after the verdict by the Supreme Court for the Hobby Lobby case.
In addition to carving a hole in the law, the Hobby Lobby ruling marked an expansion of corporate rights, allowing companies, like people, to claim religious freedom under federal law. Read more: Freshway Contraception win on appeals