CLEVELAND – The parents of a developmentally disabled boy in Ohio have sued his court-appointed guardian, a minister and the child's Big Brother claiming he was baptized at a church last year against the couple's wishes.
The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland by April and Gregg DeFibaugh, of Chardon, claims their rights of religious freedom were violated by individuals "acting under the color of state law."
None of the individuals or groups named as defendants immediately returned messages seeking comment.
The lawsuit says a man from a local Big Brothers Big Sisters group took the boy without his parents to a church picnic in Chardon last August and threatened to stop taking him to minor league baseball games unless he was baptized.
The suit seeks unspecified damages.
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