Fratello v. Archdiocese of New York

SACK, Circuit Judge:

Plaintiff-appellant Joanne Fratello, former principal of a Roman Catholic school, alleges that she was terminated from that position on the basis of unlawful gender discrimination and retaliation. The defendants—the school, the church, and the archdiocese—moved for summary judgment on the ground that these claims are barred" by the “ministerial exception,” a doctrine that precludes, on First Amendment grounds, employment-discrimination claims by “ministers” against the religious organizations that employ or formerly employed'them. The United States District Court for the…