After filing a lawsuit against Nelda Martinez, mayor of Corpus Christi, as well as council members Carolyn Vaughn and Lucy Rubio for allegedly favoring Christian residents in the Texas town, atheist activist Patrick Greene has decided to no longer pursue the case since his wife fell ill.
“I am sending a request to the civil court today to dismiss the entire lawsuit,” Greene said. “My wife was just diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and osteoporosis and I don't want this lawsuit to complicate our lives. As an atheist, my moral standards put my wife first at all times.”
Greene lodged his complaint last month after Pastor Rick Milby from Abundant Life Fellowship invited town officials for an opulent groundbreaking ceremony of a 230-foot cross along Interstate 37, which is supposed to be the biggest structure of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
Accusing Milby of having violated Texas’ constitution, Greene alleged that town officials had showed a preference towards Christians by accepting the pastor’s invitation.
“When I saw the mayor in her official position and the council in their official positions were attending a groundbreaking ceremony for a Christian symbol—that smacked right in the face of the Constitution of the state of Texas,” Greene explained when he filed the complaint.
He also pointed out that the cross might jeopardize people’s safety on the road considering its gigantic size and questionable placement.
Milby responded by saying Greene was attacking not only his right to religious freedom but also the mayor’s.
“The groundbreaking was on a Sunday, and these are Christians, and they have a right to their faith,” he said.
The atheist eventually dropped Milby’s name from the complaint, focusing instead on town officials only.
Responding to the complaint against her, Martinez said that she felt it was part of her duty as head of the town to accept Milby’s invitation and attend the groundbreaking of the cross.
“The name of our city is Body of Christ, and I will tell you I will never forget that conversation I had with my father about his dream and his hope,” she explained. “No matter what belief you have, this is the name of our city and it was my constitutional right to attend. I will never regret being there for this wonderful moment.”
Promising to pray for Greene’s wife, Martinez said however that she would continue to attend such events in the future.
“I am praying for Mr. Greene's wife,” she said. “I did not want to respond with anger and ask the Court to punish Mr. Greene for filing a clearly frivolous and groundless lawsuit. However, Mr. Greene is on notice. Should he re-file, we will have no other option but to utilize the legal system to defend our taxpayers from such a baseless suit.”
Photo Credits: My San Antonio
