Legal Opinion

Lee v. Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church of Pittsburgh

Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Decided September 5, 2018No. 17-3086PublishedCited by 33 opinions

1Opinion of the Court

SHWARTZ, Circuit Judge.

*116 Reverend Dr. William David Lee was terminated from his position as pastor of the Sixth Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church ("the Church") and sued the Church for allegedly breaching his employment contract. The District Court granted summary judgment in the Church's favor because the adjudication of Lee's contract claim would impermissibly entangle the Court in religious doctrine in violation of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. We agree and will affirm.

I

A

In December 2012, the Church's Deacon board recommended, and the Church voted unanimously to accept, Lee…

2Cases cited17 opinions

  1. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, Administratrix of the Estate of CatrettSupreme Court of the United States · 1986
  2. Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionSupreme Court of the United States · 2012
  3. Mrs. Billie B. McCLURE, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. the SALVATION ARMY, Defendant-AppelleeCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1972
  4. John Daubert v. NRA Group LLCCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit · 2017
  5. Ralph L. Minker v. Baltimore Annual Conference of United Methodist Church and Bishop Joseph A. YeakelCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1990

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3Cited by33 opinions

  1. Sandor Demkovich v. St. Andrew the Apostle ParishCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 2021
  2. Tucker v. Faith Bible Chapel Int'l.Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2022
  3. Lynn Starkey v. Roman Catholic Archdiocese ofCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 2022
  4. Kristen Biel v. St. James SchoolCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2019
  5. Lonnie Billard v. Charlotte Catholic High SchoolCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2024

28 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.

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