Polygamous town lawyers seek dismissal of civil rights lawsuit

The Associated Press

First Published Aug 28 2012 01:22 pm • Last Updated Aug 28 2012 10:17 pm

Attorneys for a pair of polygamous Utah-Arizona border towns are seeking dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department that claimed officials are violating residents’ civil rights.

The suit filed in federal court in Arizona in June claimed Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., officials have supported a campaign of intimidation against the unfaithful while denying them housing and services.

Residents of both communities are largely made up of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, run by the group’s leader Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas after convictions on child sex and bigamy charges.

Town attorneys claim in a filing Monday the Justice Department lawsuit was too vague, and therefore should be clarified or dismissed.

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