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<H1>Small town may face big bill from Wiccan</H1>
<H3>Woman wins lawsuit over prayers in council meetings; wants fees
paid</H3>
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Monday, August 15, 2005; Posted: 1:33 p.m. EDT (17:33 GMT)
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<P><B style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">GREAT FALLS, South Carolina (AP) -- A small South
Carolina town is facing a hefty legal bill after losing a battle over whether it
should stop using Jesus Christ's name in prayers before council
meetings.</B></P>
<P>The U.S. Supreme Court refused in June to hear the Great Falls' appeal of a
lower court ruling over the prayers.</P>
<P>Now Darla Wynne wants Great Falls to pay her more than $65,000 to cover legal
bills. A judge is expected to rule on the matter within the next two months.</P>
<P>Wynne, who describes herself as a Wiccan priestess, sued Great Falls in 2001,
saying the town violated the separation between church and state by using the
name Jesus Christ in prayers because it promoted one religion, Christianity,
over the another.</P>
<P>The money is not covered by insurance, and it is unclear where the town of
about 2,200 residents would get the cash. The amount is about 7 percent of its
annual budget.</P>
<P>"It'll be an enormous undertaking for us," town attorney Michael Hemlepp
said.</P>
<P>Wynne's lawyer said attorneys had incurred only about $18,000 in expenses
before the town decided to appeal. "We spent two years in extra litigation while
they went to the U.S. Supreme Court, and I think the case was clear from the
beginning," said attorney Herbert Buhl.</P>
<P>The Rev. Michael Sollers, pastor of Evangel Temple Assembly of God, said most
of the town supported the council's decision to keep fighting the case and would
be willing to help pay the legal fees.</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>