An East Earl-based cabinetmaker that sued the federal government over the contraception provisions in the Affordable Care Act has lost a round in its battle in federal court.

U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg on Friday denied a request for a temporary injunction from Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp.

The firm and other employers objecting to the contraception provisions "have not met their burden," the judge's ruling stated.

Conestoga Wood in December had sued the U.S. Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury, alleging it would be "sinful and immoral" to make the company comply with the law by paying for or supporting certain forms of contraception."

The company's owners, who are Mennonites, objected to the law's requirement that they provide health insurance covering birth-control products such as Plan B, the "morning after" pill.

Five of the company owners, Norman Hahn, Elizabeth Hahn, Norman Lamar Hahn, Anthony N. Hahn and Kevin Hahn, brought the suit against U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the ruling noted.

Companies that refuse to follow the law requirement ordinarily face fines of up to $100 a day per employee -- which would total about $95,000 daily for Conestoga.

But Judge Goldberg on Dec. 28 imposed a stay, giving Conestoga Wood a two-week reprieve from complying with the law while the case moves through the legal system.

But he found that the "plaintiffs have not shown that they are entitled to a preliminary injunction," and their motion is denied, Goldberg ruled.

It's not known what steps Conestoga Wood will now take in response to the ruling.

doconnor@lnpnews.com