By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Three city employees and their spouses who are concerned Houston would be forced to stop paying benefits to same-sex spouses due to an ongoing civil case have filed a lawsuit asking for a court order to stop any such action.

The new lawsuit, filed Thursday in Houston federal court, comes after the state Supreme Court in June overturned a lower court's decision favoring same-sex marriage benefits and ordered the case back to a civil court in Houston.

After the June decision, the conservative activists who had initially sued Houston filed a motion seeking an injunction that would block the city from paying same-sex spousal benefits to its municipal employees while the case goes to trial.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has previously said the city wouldn't stop providing such benefits.