Legal Opinion
Presbytery of Beaver-Butler v. Middlesex Presbyterian Church
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Decided April 3, 1985PublishedCited by 90 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT
McDermott, justice.
This is a dispute over the ownership of church property. The issue presented is whether the members of a local church which has been affiliated with a national denomination can retain ownership of the assets and property of that local church after having terminated their membership in that denomination.
The principal appellant 1 is the Middlesex Presbyterian Church (“Middlesex”), which is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, incorporated in 1907. The primary appellee 2 is the Beaver-Butler Presbytery of the United Presbyterian Church in the United…
2Cases cited30 opinions
- Abington School Dist. v. SchemppSupreme Court of the United States · 1963
- Watson v. JonesSupreme Court of the United States · 1872
- Presbyterian Church in US v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian ChurchSupreme Court of the United States · 1969
- Jones v. WolfSupreme Court of the United States · 1979
- Kedroff v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church in North AmericaSupreme Court of the United States · 1952
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3Cited by90 opinions
- Torchia on Behalf of Torchia v. TorchiaSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1985
- Porreco v. PorrecoSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 2002
- Askew ex rel. general assembly of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith v. Trustees of the General Assembly of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith Inc.Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit · 2012
- First Options of Chicago, Inc. v. Kaplan (In Re Kaplan)United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania · 1993
- Bishop and Diocese of Colorado v. MoteSupreme Court of Colorado · 1986
85 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.