Thai Meditation Association of Alabama, Inc. v. City of Mobile, Alabama

83 F.4th 922
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit·Decided October 2, 2023·No. 22-11674·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinion

[PUBLISH]

In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit

No. 22-11674

THAI MEDITATION ASSOCIATION OF ALABAMA, INC., (the “Center”), SIVAPORN NIMITYONGSKUL, VARIN NIMITYONGSKUL, SERENA NIMITYONGSKUL, PRASIT NIMITYONGSKUL, Plaintiffs-Appellants, versus CITY OF MOBILE, ALABAMA,

Defendant-Appellee

USCA11 Case: 22-11674 Document: 79-1 Date Filed: 10/02/2023 Page: 2 of 19

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CITY OF MOBILE PLANNING COMMISSION, et al.,

Defendants.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama D.C. Docket No. 1:16-cv-00395-TFM-MU

Before WILSON, JILL PRYOR, Circuit Judges, and CONWAY,* District Judge. WILSON, Circuit Judge:

In this long-running property use dispute, the plaintiffs, the Thai Meditation Association of Alabama and four of its organizers (collectively, TMAA), seek to convert a property zoned for residential use into a meditation center. In Thai Meditation Association of Alabama v. City of Mobile, 980 F.3d 821 (11th Cir. 2020) (TMAA I), we reviewed the outcome of a bench trial that ended in judgment for the City of Mobile on all counts. We affirmed in part but remanded three counts for further consideration. Id. at 841. The vacated and

* Honorable Anne C. Conway, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida, sitting by designation.

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remanded claims consisted of: (1) a substantial burden challenge under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc(a)(1); (2) a Free Exercise challenge under the First Amendment; and (3) a state law challenge under the Alabama Constitution’s Religious Freedom Amendment (ARFA). On remand, the district court granted summary judgment to the City on all three counts, and this appeal followed.

After careful review of the record and with the benefit of oral argument, we conclude that summary judgment was improper , for either party, on the RLUIPA claim; summary judgment was proper on the Free Exercise claim; and the City has failed to carry its burden to satisfy strict scrutiny on the ARFA claim. Accordingly , we VACATE in part, AFFIRM in part, and REVERSE in part.

I. Background The details of this case were thoroughly recounted in TMAA I, so we only recount the facts essential to this decision. TMAA is a Buddhist religious organization belonging to the Dhammakaya school of Buddhism. TMAA’s “purpose is teaching and research into growth and development of mind and spirit through meditation and expanding the knowledge of Buddhism.” TMAA I, 980 F.3d at 826 (cleaned up). TMAA has been seeking a permanent home in Mobile, Alabama for several years now. In 2007, it operated out of a converted house in a residential neighborhood. After neighbors complained and TMAA was unable to obtain the proper zoning authorization, it moved to its present location inside a

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shopping center. Because this location is on a commercial street and shares a building with commercial businesses, TMAA alleges it is far too loud and disruptive for them to meditate—that is, to practice their religion. TMAA also alleges their current location is too small to allow them to hold classes to teach others about their religion . Id.

In Mobile, there are two zoning classifications relevant to this appeal. The first is the R-1 zoning designation, which allows for residential usage as of right and allows for other uses—like religious uses—subject to “planning approval” by the Planning Commission . The second is the commercial zoning designation, which allows certain uses—including religious uses—by right. TMAA’s first location, the converted house, was in an R-1 district. TMAA’s second and current location is in a commercial district.

In 2015, TMAA bought the house that is the subject of this litigation, the Eloong Drive property. Like TMAA’s original location , the Eloong Drive property is located in an R-1 residential district and thus required planning approval to be put to a religious use. Before purchasing the property, TMAA engaged in pre-approval meetings with City officials, and TMAA alleges they received positive feedback on their preliminary plans. When TMAA finally submitted its application, it received immense pushback from the public. Many public comments focused on, and objected to, the Buddhist character of TMAA’s proposed usage. Some questioned whether TMAA’s usage was even religious at all. Some commentors objected to TMAA’s application because of concerns

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about compatibility and traffic in the small neighborhood in which the Eloong Drive property is located. Ultimately, noting those compatibility concerns, the Planning Commission denied TMAA’s application, and the City Council denied TMAA’s appeal. This suit followed.

TMAA alleged six counts against the City, and the district court originally ruled in favor of the City on all six counts. In TMAA I, we vacated the district court’s analysis of the RLUIPA substantial burden claim, the Free Exercise claim, and the ARFA claim. 980 F.3d at 841. On remand, the parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment on these three counts. The district court again granted summary judgment to the City on all three claims. We address each of these in turn.

II. Standard of Review We review the district court’s grant or denial of summary judgment de novo, applying the same legal standard as the district court. Seff v. Broward Cnty., 691 F.3d 1221, 1222–23 (11th Cir. 2012). Summary judgment is proper where, construing all facts in favor of the non-movant, there is no genuine issue of any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id. at 1223. This appeal arises from the district court’s resolution of cross-motions for summary judgment. “In practice, cross motions for summary judgment may be probative of the nonexistence of a factual dispute.” Ga. State Conf. of NAACP v. Fayette Cnty., 775 F.3d 1336, 1345 (11th Cir. 2015) (cleaned up) (quoting Shook v. United States, 713 F.2d 662, 665 (11th Cir. 1983)). But we have cautioned

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that the mere filing of cross-motions “do[es] not automatically empower the court” to enter summary judgment for one party. Id. (quoting La Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Voigt, 700 F.2d 341, 349 (7th Cir. 1983)). Instead, the district court must methodically take each motion in turn and construe all the facts in favor of the non-movant for each. If, after engaging in this analysis, the district court determines no genuine issue of material fact exists, then it may appropriately enter summary judgment for a party.

III. RLUIPA Substantial Burden “Congress sought, through RLUIPA, to protect religious land uses from discriminatory processes used to exclude or otherwise limit the location of churches and synagogues in municipalities across the country.” Midrash Sephardi, Inc. v. Town of Surfside, 366 F.3d 1214, 1236 (11th Cir. 2004). Under RLUIPA, (a)(1) No government shall impose or implement a land use regulation in a manner that imposes a substantial burden on the religious exercise of a person, including a religious assembly or institution, unless the government demonstrates that imposition of the burden on that person, assembly, or institution—

(A) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and

(B) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.

42 U.S.C. § 2000cc(a)(1).

USCA11 Case: 22-11674 Document: 79-1 Date Filed: 10/02/2023 Page: 7 of 19

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Thai Meditation Association of Alabama, Inc. v. City of Mobile, Alabama, 83 F.4th 922 (11th Cir. 2023).

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