NewsOK member benefits

Hobby Lobby to appeal birth control rule decision

Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby wants court to delay implementation of federal rules on insurance coverage for certain types of birth control.

From Staff Reports | Published: November 30, 2012 Comment on this article

Following a successful appeal in a similar case, attorneys for Hobby Lobby said Thursday they will ask a federal appeals court in Denver to delay implementation of federal rules on insurance coverage for certain types of birth control.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said a ruling by the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to grant temporary relief from a mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should bolster their appeal.

“It is now the case that every other court to consider the issue has granted business plaintiffs interim relief against the mandate,” said Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund and counsel for Hobby Lobby.

Duncan said granting a similar request by Hobby Lobby should preserve the status quo and forestall possible fines of up to $1.3 million per day.

Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby and Mardel last week appealed an Oklahoma City federal judge's refusal to block enforcement of insurance rules for contraception coverage that the companies' owners claim violate their religious beliefs.