Town to pay civil fine following denial of marriage license to same sex couple
ALBANY, NY: (WRGB) The New York State Division of Human Rights say they have reached a settlement agreement with the Town of Root.
This after the denial of a marriage license to a same sex couple by the Town Clerk in Montgomery County.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo directed Division of Human Rights to investigate the matter which concluded that the Town of Root had failed to meet their obligation to not discriminate under state law.
Division of Human Rights Commissioner Angela Fernandez said: “The New York State Division of Human Rights works tirelessly to fight the scourge of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Marriage equality is the law of the land and those who deny New Yorkers their fundamental rights will be held fully accountable.”
Back on July 30, 2018, Dylan Toften and Thomas Hurd attempted to obtain a marriage license from their Town Clerk, Sherrie Eriksen. Eriksen refused to process their application
Governor Cuomo then called for an investigation into the denial of the marriage license. The New York State Division of Human Rights' investigation revealed that couples were treated differently by the Clerk’s office based on their sexual orientation and the Town of Root violated that state law, shown by probable case.
The Town of Root has agreed to pay a civil fine and penalty to New York State, as well as adopt new non-discriminatory policies that will ensure that all individuals in the Town have an equal opportunity to obtain a marriage license.
The Town of Root also paid a settlement of $25,000 to Mr. Toften and Mr. Hurd and Town Clerk Eriksen issued a public apology back in April.
"Thank you to Governor Cuomo and the New York State Division of Human Rights for their work on this settlement," said Dylan Toften and Thomas Hurd. "It's reassuring to know that the State of New York is looking out for residents of small towns and that no New Yorkers rights can be denied so easily."
