MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Satanic Temple, the sponsor of the After School Satan Club (ASSC), announced Thursday it reached a $15,000 settlement against Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) for First Amendment violations.
Chimneyrock Elementary School in Cordova received national attention in December 2023 after holding a press conference announcing the After School Satan Club's formation.
After the presser, The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent the first of three complaint letters to MSCS in response to the remarks. FFRF’s first letter urged the district to continue to abide by the First Amendment and allow The Satanic Temple to rent facilities in accordance with the district’s own written policies.
The FFRF filed the federal lawsuit in March on The Satanic Temple's behalf and dismissed the lawsuit Tuesday.
According to court records, the organization said the district was going against the First Amendment by charging the club with “unexpected and exorbitant security fees” that other similar organizations have not been charged and issuing higher club rental fees.
MSCS “cannot pick and choose how much it charges an organization renting its facilities based on how much it does or does not favor the organization’s viewpoint, the content of its speech, or its religious beliefs,” stated the FFRF’s lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
An FFRF press release said MSCS will pay over $15,000 to resolve the suit. That includes $14,845 in attorneys’ fees and costs to FFRF and cooperating counsel.
The board will also pay one dollar for nominal damages to The Satanic Temple and $196.71 for various fees previously paid by the Temple in connection with rental reservations that had not yet been refunded.
ABC24 is still waiting for a response from MSCS regarding the settlement.