COEUR d'ALENE - A U.S. District Court judge has given both parties in a lawsuit filed by The Hitching Post against the city of Coeur d'Alene one more chance to reach a resolution before trial.

Attorneys for the city filed a motion on Jan. 28 asking for lawsuit proceedings to be delayed until March 10. In his ruling on the motion Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Bush gave attorneys involved in the suit until Feb. 27 to find a solution.

"This being the third stay, no additional stays will be granted," Bush wrote in his decision.

Lawyers with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian rights legal advocacy organization, filed the suit in October 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. The city has maintained that the Knapps' business is exempt under the law.

Knapps' lawyers have remained consistent in their intent to obtain a formal clarification to the ordinance during mediation.

"ADF continues to defend the Knapps' fundamental freedoms and is working to ensure that all religious business owners are protected from the kind of unlawful, punitive action the Knapps were threatened with," Jeremy Tedesco, ADF senior legal counsel, said in an email to The Press.

City Attorney Mike Gridley told The Press it is preferable to resolve lawsuits prior to any court proceedings because it's more efficient and saves both sides money. In discussions with ADF attorneys, which Gridley said primarily take place over the phone and through email, the city's legal counsel has also maintained its position that the case should be dismissed.

If that conclusion is not reached by the deadline, Gridley said a formal motion will be filed requesting dismissal.

"We feel strongly that we've done nothing to harm the Knapps," Gridley said. "We've told them 'We're not going to pursue you, you're good to go and you're a religious corporation exempt under our ordinance.'"