COEUR d'ALENE - The lawsuit which put the city of Coeur d'Alene at the center of the national debate on same-sex marriage could be moving toward a resolution.

Attorneys for the city filed a motion Monday in federal court asking for proceedings in the lawsuit - filed in October against the city by The Hitching Post - to be delayed.

The motion was filed by Kirtlan Naylor, a Boise-based attorney representing the city in the case.

Lawyers with the Alliance Defending Freedom - a Christian rights legal advocacy organization - filed the suit on behalf of Don and Evelyn Knapp, the owners of the Hitching Post. The civil rights lawsuit claims the Knapps are being forced to violate their religious beliefs and perform same-sex marriages because of the city's anti-discrimination ordinance.

Coeur d'Alene City Attorney Mike Gridley wrote in an email to The Press that the stay was requested in order to allow both parties time to attempt to resolve the issue outside the courtroom. He added that the city wants the case dismissed.

Jeremy Tedesco, senior legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, also told The Press that the parties needed time to reach a settlement.

But, Tedesco added that the ADF is seeking a formal clarification to the city's anti-discrimination ordinance.

"The city has stated multiple times - orally and in writing, publicly and privately - that for-profit businesses such as the Hitching Post are subject to the ordinance and would likely be prosecuted under it," Tedesco wrote. "Alliance Defending Freedom is requesting that the city honor the Knapps' fundamental freedoms and include a clear exemption covering for-profit businesses that are operated according to the owner's religious beliefs."