Despite spending over $40 million in a zero-sum game of scorched earth litigation, the Episcopal Church (TEC) was defeated today in Texas' Tarrant County Court, with Judge Chupp ruling in favor of the traditionalist Diocese of Fort Worth.
The Diocese of Fort Worth voted to leave the Episcopal Church in 2008 and was sued by the denomination for all its property and assets. TEC claimed that these belonged to the national church and had been held by the diocese "in trust."
Chupp's order denies TEC's claim, and follows earlier decisions by Texas' Supreme Court, which stated that TEC's lawsuit should be tried on neutral principles of state property law and that there was no "trust relationship" between churches, dioceses and TEC.
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The Tarrant County ruling is the third in a series of legal reversals experienced by the Episcopal Church, following defeats in South Carolina and Quincy.
TEC, you lose, and perhaps $40 million+ might have been spent more wisely.
LSP
9 comments:
I wonder what the end result would have been if they spent $40 million feeding the poor and providing aid and succor to the down trodden? I'm sure that never occurred to the ugly lady in the absurd costumes.
That sum of money could have helped a lot of people...
Astounding hubris on the part of TEC. $40 million is a huge amount of money.
It really is, and before it's all said and done, with appeals etc, I'd be surprised if the figure was closer to $70 million.
The hubris intensifies when you consider that TEC (in Fort Worth) has been describing their legal costs as "holy stewardship." I kid you not.
I'll be curious to see if there's a "grassroots rebellion" over use of funds at this year's General Convention.
There certainly should be...
Tremendously good news!!
And I'm with LL. Such a stubborn misappropriation of money.
Holy stewardship, my foot.
How do you argue with the archbishop when he/she tells you that it's God's will that they spend $70M on lawyers and courts to save it from the Godless homophobes?
$40 million could have bought her a better hat, with more cowbell.
I'm glad to hear the traditionalists (as I understand it) won their legal case, tho I'll admit to being confused as to who's who, especially since both groups seem to lay claim to the name "Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth." I found two websites using that name, one decrying the suit, so I'm guessing they were the losers (tho I could be wrong). Best as I can tell, both Episcopal churches in my town are still part of the TEC, tho the older one seems slightly more traditional (by a degree or two).
The TEC losers claim to be the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and one of their charges against us was "trademark infringement," or something like that.
The Tarrant county court threw that out, but they're still at it and will be until they lose on appeal.
It's all part of "holy stewardship."
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