Troutman Pepper Locke Pro Bono Team Secures Favorable Settlement in Land Use and Religious Freedom Dispute

NEW YORK – A cross-office Troutman Pepper Locke team secured a favorable settlement, including attorneys’ fees, for pro bono client The Rock Church in a lawsuit against the Town of Castle Rock, Colo. The settlement allows the Church to continue expanding its ministry of providing temporary shelter to individuals experiencing homelessness within its community.

The Church had operated its “On-Site Temporary Shelter Ministry” for five years, offering temporary shelter in recreational vehicles (RVs) on its campus, along with food, clothing, and other vital services to those in need. In 2023, the Town of Castle Rock moved to stop the Church’s efforts, claiming that the Church’s ministry violated applicable land use requirements. Troutman Pepper Locke, in collaboration with co-counsel First Liberty Institute, filed a federal lawsuit in 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, claiming the town’s actions were unlawful under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and the First Amendment.

In summer 2024, the team won a preliminary injunction, allowing the Church to continue operating its ministry with two RVs during the lawsuit’s pendency, including through the winter months. In June 2025, the town agreed to a settlement that enables the Church to expand its operations to seven RVs without interference, ensuring the Church can provide essential services to the community in alignment with its religious mission, and requiring the town to pay the Church’s attorneys’ fees incurred in bringing the lawsuit.

Troutman Pepper Locke’s Misha Tseytlin and Josh Davey led the team with support from Kevin LeRoy, Carson Cox, Alex Hill, Dylan DeWitt, Nick Gouverneur, and Robin Platte.

Each year, Troutman Pepper Locke attorneys dedicate thousands of pro bono hours in support of nonprofits, military veterans, children, the wrongfully convicted, civil rights and social justice initiatives, and many other causes. Learn more at troutman.com/pro-bono.

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