Latest Church Headlines
All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Hill Country Hardest Hit by Torrential Rains, Flooding
Jun 29 2007 // Lisa Schlueter was sleeping soundly Wednesday morning when she was roused by Toots, her rat terrier, barking in the living room. When she flipped on a light, she quickly saw what had gotten Toots so agitated: Flood water...
Mistrial Declared in Va. Man’s Sex Abuse Claim Against Vt. Diocese
Jun 28 2007 // A mistrial was declared this week in the case of a Virginia man who accused the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, Vermont of negligence for the alleged actions of one of its priests. Chittenden County Superior Court...
W. Va. Church Fire Ruled Arson
Jun 21 2007 // Fire officials have ruled a fire that damaged a Logan County, W. Va., church as arson. There are no suspects at this time in the fire at the Kistler Freewill Baptist Church, Kim O’Brien, spokeswoman for the state...
Looming Trials Could Force Settlement in LA Clergy Abuse Cases
Jun 19 2007 // After years of legal wrangling, the nation’s largest Roman Catholic archdiocese may finally move to settle hundreds of clergy sex abuse claims against it following several legal setbacks and the prospect of jury...
Wis. Man Gets 15-year Prison Term for Torching Historic Church
Jun 13 2007 // A judge sentenced a homeless man to 15 years in prison this week for burning down the city’s historic Catholic church, saying the mentally ill man was a danger to the public. Dane County Judge Steven Ebert sentenced...
Archdiocese of St. Louis Sues Law Firm on Confidentiality of Documents
May 31 2007 // The Archdiocese of St. Louis is suing a law firm that handles clergy sex abuse cases, claiming it is improperly circulating confidential documents related to eight current or former priests. At a news conference earlier...
Jury Awards $11.4 Million to Victims in N.Y. Diocese Sex Abuse Case
May 23 2007 // Several civil lawsuits have arisen from allegations of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church, but few have gone to trial. Most were settled out of court. In what victims’ lawyers called a powerful message to the...
Mich. Jury Awards $315,000 to Ex-parishoner of Lansing-area Church
May 15 2007 // A jury recently awarded about $315,000 to a woman whose fall during a service led to a falling-out with her former church and pastor. Judith Dadd, 52, of Lansing, accused Mount Hope Church of negligence and its pastor,...
In Rare Move, N.Y. Jury May Decide Priest Sex Abuse Case
Apr 17 2007 // The United States’ sixth-largest Roman Catholic diocese is headed to trial this week in a $150 million lawsuit accusing church officials of recklessness for employing a youth minister who raped and sodomized...
Vermont Diocese Found Lacking in Anti-Abuse Audit
Apr 13 2007 // Vermont’s Catholic Diocese has met most of the standards set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to prevent sexual abuse by priests, but came up short in training volunteers, an audit has found. Vermont and...
Audit Finds Boston Archdiocese Complies with Child Protection Standards
Apr 12 2007 // An independent audit has determined that the Boston Archdiocese has met the child protection safety standards adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the archdiocese announced. An audit by the Gavin Group found...
Delaware Senate Votes to Repeal Time Limit on Sex Abuse Suits
Apr 10 2007 // The Delaware Senate this week unanimously approved a bill allowing victims of child sexual abuse more time to file civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers. Senators approved the bill on a 19-0 vote after 31/2 hours of...
Delaware Jury Awards Navy Officer $41 Million in Priest Abuse Case
Apr 3 2007 // A Delaware jury has awarded $41 million to a Navy officer who said a Roman Catholic priest sexually abused him hundreds of times as a teen. Jurors awarded Cmdr. Kenneth Whitwell $6 million in compensatory damages and $35...
Ark. Man Claims He Was Fired For Not Attending Church
Apr 2 2007 // A Benton County, Ark., man has sued his former employer, claiming that he was fired for not attending a specific church as ordered by his boss. Clifford D. Randel filed the lawsuit in Benton County Circuit Court against...
Workers’ Comp CEO Alleges Alabama Officials Wrecked His Business
Mar 30 2007 // A former campaign supporter of Alabamam Governor Bob Riley is suing him and other present and former state officials, accusing them of conspiring to drive him out of the insurance business. John W. Goff of Montgomery filed...
Sarbanes-Oxley use in Conn. case worries corporate defense bar
Mar 26 2007 // The arrest of a prominent attorney on charges of destroying evidence in a Connecticut child pornography investigation is raising alarm bells that a law targeting corporate accounting schemes could be used to prosecute...
San Bernardino Bishop Says Church Fund Won’t Go To Abuse Claims
Mar 9 2007 // The Diocese of San Bernardino will not use money parishioners have donated to build new churches to settle cases of clergy sexual abuse, Bishop Gerald R. Barnes said. The diocese is named in at least 17 pending lawsuits by...
Sarbanes-Oxley Charges in Conn. Case Worry Corporate Defense Lawyers
Mar 6 2007 // The arrest of a prominent attorney on charges of destroying evidence in a Connecticut child pornography investigation is raising alarm bells that a law targeting corporate accounting schemes could be used to prosecute...
Aon Construction Services Names Church Director in Irvine Office
Mar 2 2007 // Aon Construction Services Group has hired Richard S. Church as director, Loss Control, in Aon’s Irvine, Calif., office to provide loss control services to construction clients throughout California and the...
Abuse Trials Delayed as San Diego Diocese Files for Bankruptcy
Mar 1 2007 // The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection hours before it was scheduled to go to trial in the first of more than 140 lawsuits accusing priests of sexual abuse. The filing...
