Church of the Word
NO DEAL IN LA DIOCESE

OCRegister.com: No deal between Episcopal diocese and 3 churches

April 28, 2005

SANTA ANA – Lawyers for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and three breakaway parishes met in mediation but failed to settle a lawsuit stemming from a dispute over who owns church property, an attorney said.

The suit, filed by the diocese against St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints Church in Long Beach and St. David's Church in North Hollywood will now proceed through the court, Daniel Lula, who represents the parishes, said Thursday.

Lula declined to comment on discussion that took place during mediation, citing a state law that holds such sessions confidential.

The suits against the churches have been consolidated under Orange County Superior Court Judge David Velasquez, even though two of the churches and the diocese are in Los Angeles County.

Velasquez, who ordered the nonbinding mediation in March, will receive an update during a hearing scheduled Thursday, Lula said.

"We're going to ask the court to set a hearing on a pending motion to dismiss the lawsuit," Lula said.

The motion was filed eight months ago, but held in abeyance while several decisions – such as whether the cases would be joined under one judge in Orange County – were made, he said.

Lawyers for the diocese could not be reached for immediate comment.

St. James and All Saints churches cut ties to the national Episcopal Church in August and placed themselves under the jurisdiction of a conservative Anglican bishop in Uganda. St. David's Church in North Hollywood later followed suit.

The parishes say they have divergent views on biblical interpretation and homosexuality.

The diocese filed its suit against the churches Sept. 7, seeking return of church property, including prayer books and hymnals.

After the lawsuits were filed, the Rt. Rev. J. John Bruno, bishop of the Los Angeles Diocese, issued a statement saying he had no choice but to sue to preserve the churches as houses of worship for faithful Episcopalians, as they had been used since being founded.

This article comes from The Connecticut Six
http://www.ctsix.org/

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