Legal Opinion
Callahan v. First Congregational Church
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Decided May 18, 2004PublishedCited by 45 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtSpina, J.
This case involves various claims arising from the plaintiff John F. Callahan’s employment as an interim pastor of the First Congregational Church of Haverhill (Church) and the suspension of his privilege to be a minister by the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ (conference). The defendants moved to dismiss, Mass. R. Civ. P. 12 (b) (1), 365 Mass. 754 (1974), claiming the court has no subject matter jurisdiction over this purely ecclesiastical matter. A judge in the Superior Court denied the motion. Based on our decision in Hiles v. Episcopal Diocese of Mass., 437 Mass.…
2Cases cited26 opinions
- Watson v. JonesSupreme Court of the United States · 1872
- Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for United States and Canada v. MilivojevichSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
- David Holt, as Personal Representative of the Estates of James W. Holt and Joan Holt, Deceased v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 1995
- Kedroff v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church in North AmericaSupreme Court of the United States · 1952
- Valentin-De-Jesus v. United HealthcareCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit · 2001
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3Cited by45 opinions
- General Convention of the New Jerusalem in the United States of America, Inc. v. MacKenzieMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 2007
- HEB Ministries, Inc. v. Texas Higher Education Coordinating BoardTexas Supreme Court · 2007
- Higgs v. BoleSupreme Court of Alabama · 2012
- Dayner v. Archdiocese of HartfordSupreme Court of Connecticut · 2011
- Abate v. Fremont Investment & LoanMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 2015
40 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.