Legal Opinion
Hutchison v. Luddy
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Decided February 24, 1992No. 544PublishedCited by 44 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
WIEAND, Judge:
The issue of first impression in this appeal is whether a church can avoid the discovery of relevant information in a civil action against the church by putting it in a place which is designated by canon law as a “secret archive.” After examining the relationship between canon and civil law, the statutory clergyman’s privilege, and concerns raised by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, *141we conclude that the trial court properly permitted discovery of relevant, non-privileged information in the church’s possession.
On October 26, 1988, Samuel C. Hutchison…
2Cases cited31 opinions
- Cohen v. Beneficial Industrial Loan Corp.Supreme Court of the United States · 1949
- United States v. NixonSupreme Court of the United States · 1974
- Cantwell v. ConnecticutSupreme Court of the United States · 1940
- Wisconsin v. YoderSupreme Court of the United States · 1972
- Sherbert v. VernerSupreme Court of the United States · 1963
26 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by44 opinions
- Berkeyheiser v. A-Plus Investigations, Inc.Superior Court of Pennsylvania · 2007
- Commonwealth v. StewartSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1997
- Com., Dept. of Transp. v. TaylorSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 2004
- Joe v. Prison Health Services, Inc.Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania · 2001
- PECO Energy Co. v. Insurance Co. of North AmericaSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 2004
39 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.