Internal church investigations that involve only church employees and church members may be immune from judicial intrusion. Having stated that generality, no one reading this should for a moment doubt that statement does not apply to child abuse including sexual misconduct with a child. Child abuse is a crime. It is inherently a violent crime. The First Amendment will not shield a violent crime. However, nearly all other internal church investigations, disciplinary actions, and terminations of employment or membership will be shielded by the Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine. That will be true in the end whether a jurisdiction treats that First Amendment doctrine as an affirmative defense or a limitation on jurisdiction.

A recent example is the opinion issued in Orr v Fourth Episcopal District African Methodist Episcopal Church, Slip Op. (Ill. App. 2018). The Plaintiff, an employed minister, faced a charge of sexual harassment not involving a child. The internal church investigatory process was halted while the matter was in litigation. As part of the process, the minister was transferred from a church in Illinois to another state. The trial court granted summary judgment on Plaintiff’s defamation theories and the appellate court affirmed. The hierarchical denomination in the case at the time of the allegations was governed by a “Book of Discipline.” The Book of Discipline established a complex system for reporting and internally adjudicating internal sexual harassment claims. The process at the time included a “judicial committee” that operated “like a grand jury,” a “trial committee,” and a “trier of appeals.” The process was confidential and there was no allegation it had not so remained.

The internal investigation will be shielded if it remains internal to the church. “Leaks” are not the issue in this report but could be in some other case. The issue will be “public pronouncements.” Internal announcements will likely be shielded as long as they are made only to leadership or only to actual church members with a need to know. The ruling of the church due process system, no matter how modest or elaborate, may be made public and may be shielded, but the exact care to be taken in implementing a final decision public announcement is not the subject of this report.

• Uncategorized