The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints won another small victory Thursday for the Heber Valley Utah Temple in a ruling from the Utah Supreme Court.
In an eight-page ruling, the court lifted an injunction that halted construction of the temple while the court weighs an appeal from four Heber Valley men who filed a lawsuit seeking to stop it permanently.
A spokesman said the church welcomed the opportunity to resume work.
“The church intends to restart preliminary utility and grading work on the property right away to prepare the site for construction of the temple,” Sam Penrod said. “The church is hopeful that the appeal of the previously dismissed lawsuit will soon be resolved in its favor. Once completed, this temple will bless the lives of Latter-day Saints in the Heber Valley by providing a sacred house of worship closer to their homes.”
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the injunction on Dec. 8, when attorneys representing the church asked the justices to suspend it.
The church began construction in August after a Utah district court judge threw out the lawsuit.
That judge issued an injunction to stop the construction after the men filed an appeal in September.
The church’s attorney, David Jordan, told the Supreme Court in the December hearing that the church was confident it would win the appeal.
Jordan said the church would assume the risks of continuing construction even though it could lose the appeal, which would mean it would have to remove everything from the land.
Bruce Van Dusen, Bruce Quade, Shawn Savarino and Dominic Savarino say the temple would adversely impact their health, welfare, privacy, quiet use and enjoyment of their own property, the justices wrote in their opinion.
The court signaled that it was not yet convinced.
“Petitioners have not identified what irreparable harm the construction would cause,” the justices wrote in Thursday’s opinion. “For this reason, we grant the church’s motion and suspend the injunction pending resolution of the appeal.”
The men’s appeal could take up to a year, and Jordan said that rising construction costs would unduly burden the church.
The temple project combines two lots for a total of 18.17 acres. Plans call for a footprint of 26,089 square feet. The proposed temple would have three floors, for a total of 87,626 square feet.
Latter-day Saint leaders held a groundbreaking, at which the late church President Russell M. Nelson dedicated the site in October 2022.
The Wasatch County Council approved the temple in November 2023 after the church agreed to dim the proposed lighting for the temple.
The men subsequently filed suit.
