By AP/KWMU
St. Louis – The American Civil Liberties Union filed is suing the St. Louis County town Black Jack for refusing to grant a housing permit to a couple and because they are not married.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in St. Louis County Circuit Court on behalf of Fondray Loving, Olivia Shelltrack and their three children.
It seeks damages as well as relief from a city law the ACLU claims violates both the U.S. and Missouri constitutions, as well as the Federal Fair Housing Act.
The family own a five-bedroom home in Black Jack. The ACLU says the family faces fines of up to 500 dollars every week for living in a home without an approved occupancy permit.
Black Jack attorney Sheldon Stock declined comment. Mayor Norman McCourt did not return a phone call seeking comment.