Geauga County church, attacked by Alliance man, files federal lawsuit

CLEVELAND ‒ A Chester Township church, firebombed by an Alliance man, has sued members of White Lives Matter Ohio.

The Community Church of Chesterland and several of its members filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday against Aimenn D. Penny and others in U.S. District Court's Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland, according to court documents.

The church and its members seek compensatory and punitive damages from Penny's March 25, 2023, attack.

Penny, now 21, of Alliance, was found guilty of arson and obstruction charges in October 2023, and sentenced to 18 years in a federal prison on Jan. 29, 2024. He also was ordered to pay $10,507 in restitution to the church and undergo mental health treatment.

"Any attempt to burn a church or religious institution must be stopped and individuals need to be held responsible, both criminally and civilly," said James Pasch of the Anti-Defamation League, one of the attorneys representing the church.

The other attorneys for the victims are Justin E. Herman and Michael S. Quinlan of Jones Day in Cleveland.

Here's what happened on March 25, 2023, in Chesterland

Penny, a member of the extremist groups White Lives Matter Ohio and the Blood Tribe, threw two gasoline-filled bottles, often called Molotov cocktails, at the Chester Township church in Geauga County around 1 a.m. on March 25. It left minimal structural damage.

The attack was meant to intimidate the church and prevent two planned drag show events there. It failed. The shows were held.

Penny, then 20, was arrested March 31 and has never shown remorse for his actions. He is now an inmate at FCI Hazelton in West Virginia.

"The allegations are there are members of the group (White Live Matters Ohio) that conspired together to deprive (church members) of their property and of their civil liberties to practice their religion open and freely," Pasch said.

The lawsuit names five defendants, including Penny

The lawsuit named Penny, Chris Uthe, Brandon Perdue, Sherri Perdue and unnamed members of White Lives Matter Ohio as defendants. They are all known as "active members of White Lives Matter Ohio," the lawsuit said.

Uthe is the alleged leader of the extremist group, according to the lawsuit.

The Community Church of Chesterland vs. White Lives Matter Ohio lawsuit by Benjamin Duer on Scribd

The lawsuit details various events that White Lives Matter Ohio attended and protested in 2022 and 2023, forcing some to cancel. Among them are events in Wadsworth and in Columbus that were "directed at racial and social justice efforts."

Then the group allegedly peppered the Chester Township church with derogatory comments on Facebook before the church's planned drag show events. They also allegedly left a harassing and threatening voicemail the day before Penny's attack.

"This was an attack on their fundamental civil rights," Pasch said.

No attorneys were listed or known for the defendants.

Pasch: 'The church is filled with dedicated members.'

In addition, Community Church of Chesterland, the Rev. Jess Peacock, and church officials Megan Carver and Constance Becker were named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Peacock and Carver were among those who spoke at Penny's sentencing in January.

"The church is filled with dedicated members and board members who are more dedicated than ever to the mission of the church," Pasch said.

Peacock, in court, said the attack initially drove people away and ended a relationship with a preschool. The church rebounded and has gotten stronger, he said.

"Mr. Penny, you failed," Peacock said in court. "Yes, you failed. It's because hate will always fail."

Still the lawsuit alleges that Penny and members of White Lives Matter Ohio have caused "emotional distress" on the church, its members and its clergy.

"(The lawsuit) is certainly to deter any people or any extremist organization from taking violent actions," Pasch said. "This was a discriminatory attack toward the church's religious beliefs and actions. There should be no tolerance for this."

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Members of White Lives Matter Ohio sued over 2023 church firebomb attack