A California rabbi is threatening legal action after he says the city of Irvine has unlawfully fined him for months for hosting private prayer meetings in his home. Rabbi Rafi Dadon, an Orthodox Jew, regularly invites friends to his home for prayer, Torah study, and Shabbat and holiday meals.

Religious Liberty Concerns

First Liberty Institute sent a demand letter to the city of Irvine on June 12 demanding the city immediately cease its enforcement actions and revoke past citations against its client. Dadon’s attorneys say these gatherings are private, by invitation only, and central to his faith.

According to the letter sent by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and First Liberty Institute, the city’s justifications for the fines have frequently changed. The city initially claimed that Dadon was engaging in unpermitted ‘religious exercise’ that required a Conditional Use Permit, under local zoning regulations. Later, officials dropped the reference to ‘religious exercise’ and alleged Dadon was violating zoning rules related to ‘Accessory Use’ and ‘commercial activity’ and suggested his home was operating as a ‘place of worship’.

The letter suggests the city could be violating the Free Exercise Clause, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), and the Fair Housing Act with its actions. The city of Irvine did not immediately return requests for comment.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.