A claim of negligence against a church or ministry can have very serious consequences. There are many possible types of legal claims: torts, breach of contract, employment claims, intellectual property and so forth.  Because of the potential high value of the claims, and because it is a common type of lawsuit that can take many forms, this post reviews the tort of negligence resulting in a personal injury, with the church or ministry as a defendant.  While individual defendants are usually named, some sort of shared liability with the organization is likely because it has greater financial resources.

A Colorado Court of Appeals decision explains how a parent’s rights should be evaluated by the court. It also clarifies that the Department must follow carefully-defined laws when it takes children away from their parents. 

Christian mediation has a foot in two worlds: the peacemaking role of the Church, and the typical legal process for resolving legal disputes short of trial. It can be both spiritually healing and a cost-saving way of approaching problems.

Responses to: Why would my case go up on appeal? Do I have to respond to an appeal? How do I find an appellate attorney? What happens after the Notice of Appeal is filed? and more... 

A Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Rev. Jiang, was accused of sexually abusing a child. He denied having done it. The criminal case against Rev. Jiang was voluntarily dismissed by the prosecutor.

For most direct appeals to the Colorado Court of Appeals, a notice of appeal is your gateway to the Court. The NOA must be filed within 49 days of the date of the entry of the judgment from which the party appeals. Seems easy, right? Unfortunately, many an unsuspecting attorney has found themselves in the horrifying position of having to explain to their client how they weren’t able to figure out such a “simple” calculation.

In Part One of this series, we flagged some traps to keep on the lookout for when filing your notice of appeal. Hopefully, the tips in Part One are all you’ll ever need. But, because it happens to attorneys and pro se parties all the time, here are some suggestions if you find yourself faced with having potentially missed the deadline for filing the NOA.

An appeal can be a procedural maze—and if you make the wrong turn, occasionally there is no way out. In one case, the appellant lost her way in confusion over the magistrate rules.

Imagine you see the notice come in from the court on your latest case: Defendants’ motion for summary judgment has been granted and your client’s case is dismissed with prejudice. Your client has just lost the entire case—a case that you had litigated well. After dealing with the disappointment and post-judgment motions, you really feel it would be best for you to call it quits. 

Should I file an appeal? Many considerations come into play when making this decision, and here are some thoughts that may steer you in the right direction: