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Lesbian Couple Files Lawsuit After Being Denied Health Insurance

A lesbian couple in Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against Colorado-based Cherry Creek Mortgage and UnitedHealth Group after they revoked their spousal health insurance coverage. Cherry Creek is reported to have told their employee, Judith Dominguez, that they aren’t required to provide health insurance to her wife, Patricia Martinez. The reason? The company stated that they only recognize marriages between a man and a woman. But it gets worse.

Cherry Creek not only refuses to continue to provide health insurance coverage, they further retroactively retracted all coverage from the previous year, resulting in the couple owing tens of thousands in medical debt due to Martinez having two heart attacks.

The couple decided to file suit in federal court to stand up for their rights, and maintain that Cherry Creek is in violation of federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on sex, including Title VII and the Affordable Care Act.

And it doesn’t end there. Cherry Creek retaliated by firing Dominguez, yet continues to use her likeness on company promotional materials, because get this…they sell mortgages to same-sex couples ALL. The. Time. Judith Dominguez said of the company’s actions, “Cherry Creek recognizes same-sex marriages when it comes to selling mortgages to same-sex couples, so why won’t they recognize the marriage of one of their employees? They say they believe in family values, but clearly they value some families more than others.”

The couple’s attorney also spoke to the press. “The only thing more stunning than Cherry Creek’s bigotry is their hypocrisy,” said Dan Stormer of Hadsell, Stormer & Renick, a Los Angeles civil rights firm. “Under the U.S. Constitution, Patricia and Judith’s marriage is equal to any throughout the land. Cherry Creek’s owners can believe anything they want, but they can’t take away health coverage because of that belief.”

Indeed. Let’s hope justice is served and the couple wins this case with flying rainbow colors.

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