BANGOR, ME – Liberty Counsel filed a post-hearing brief in federal court outlining evidence and testimony showing that the University of Maine System (UMS) used a “cost-savings” ploy to hide their real reason to discriminate against Calvary Chapel Belfast when it rescinded the church’s winning bid in a property sale after public and donor outcry over its Christian beliefs. In an evidentiary hearing held March 3, UMS officials testified that they rescinded the bid on grounds the church did not account for the expense of leasing space for the university’s network Internet hub housed on the property. Yet, in the same testimony, they stated that the church’s bid did in fact explicitly account for keeping the hub in place for free that would save the university on leasing costs while avoiding the other option of incurring $500,000 in moving costs. 

In October 2024, UMS Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Ryan Low cited the Internet hub deficiency as grounds to hold a new bidding process after two other bidders and the local community objected to UMS selling the Hutchinson Center building to a church because of its religious doctrine. According to Liberty Counsel’s brief, the evidence shows that the religious opposition came from many sources threatening to withdraw financial and legislative support from UMS if it did not rescind the award to Calvary Chapel Belfast, including long-time donors, decades-long employees, legacy alumni, and Maine legislators. Under public pressure, Low held a second, rigged bidding process to award the building to a secular bidder. 

In the brief, Liberty Counsel stated that there was no reason to rescind Calvary Chapel’s award since the cited Internet Hub deficiency “did not exist” making the basis for rescinding the church’s bid just a ploy to discriminate.

Additional testimony from UMS officials revealed that they deviated from their own procedures by considering appeals from the two other bidders that were submitted beyond the deadline while the appeals themselves failed to identify specific problems or objections to the terms or conditions of the sale.

Low’s decision to rescind Calvary Chapel’s award “took a procedural and substantive wrecking ball” to the bidding process, wrote Liberty Counsel.

Liberty Counsel’s lawsuit seeks to restore the church as the rightful awardee from the first, non-discriminatory bidding process.

Although U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann had denied Liberty Counsel’s previous request for a temporary restraining order, the property now comes with a notice to any potential purchaser that the church’s lawsuit may “unwind” any sale.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “The University of Maine System engaged in discriminatory actions against Calvary Chapel Belfast. The church participated in the bidding processes in good faith, but the university unlawfully rescinded their winning bid over its religious beliefs under the excuse of procedural deficiencies. Such discrimination is unlawful and may end up being a costly mistake for the University of Maine System.” 

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