Doe v. Evans

718 So. 2d 286, 1998 WL 567904
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedSeptember 9, 1998
Docket97-0879
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 718 So. 2d 286 (Doe v. Evans) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Doe v. Evans, 718 So. 2d 286, 1998 WL 567904 (Fla. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

718 So.2d 286 (1998)

Jane DOE, Appellant,
v.
William Dunbar EVANS, III; Church of the Holy Redeemer, Inc.; The Diocese Of Southeast Florida, Inc.; and Calvin O. Schofield, Jr., Appellees.

No. 97-0879.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.

September 9, 1998.
Certification Denied October 29, 1998.

*287 Edward Campbell of Roberts & Sojka, P.A., and Randy D. Ellison, West Palm Beach, for appellant.

Thomas E. Ice of Barwick, Dillian, Lambert & Ice, P.A., Miami, and Christopher Renzulli of Renzulli & Rutherford, New York City, for appellees Church of the Holy Redeemer, Inc., The Diocese of Southeast Florida, Inc., and Calvin O. Schofield, Jr.

POLEN, Judge.

Jane Doe, a former parishioner at the Church of the Holy Redeemer (Holy Redeemer), appeals the dismissal of her second amended complaint as against Holy Redeemer, the Diocese of Southeast Florida, Inc., (the Diocese), and Bishop Calvin O. Schofield, Jr. (Schofield) (collectively "church defendants"). Another defendant, Reverend William Dunbar Evans, III, did not join in the church defendants' motion to dismiss, and Doe's claims against Evans remain pending in the lower court. We have before us only the dismissal of Does' claims against the church defendants. We affirm the trial court's dismissal of those claims.

FACTS

In Doe's second amended complaint against the several defendants, Doe alleged she was a former parishioner at Holy Redeemer where Evans was employed as a pastor responsible for providing counseling and spiritual advice to parishioners having marital difficulties. Doe alleged Evans approached her and asked to assist her with counseling, spawning a pastoral counselor-counselee relationship that endured from December 27, 1991, to February of 1992.

Doe alleged the Diocese, Schofield, and Holy Redeemer were aware of prior incidents involving sexual misconduct during counseling by Evans at another church, within the Diocese, and at Holy Redeemer. Despite this knowledge, nothing was done to rectify the situation. Doe alleged Schofield and the Diocese had control over hiring, firing, compensation, and discipline of priests including Evans.

Doe alleged a cause of action for breach of fiduciary duty against all defendants, asserting Evans breached the duty owed to Doe by becoming romantically involved with her in a manner that made it impossible for Evans to adequately keep Doe's interests paramount. Doe alleged Holy Redeemer, Schofield, and the Diocese were made aware early in the counseling process that Evans was abusing his position of trust. She asserted Evan's alleged conduct was not motivated by any sincerely held religious belief, further alleging the church defendants owed her a fiduciary duty, (apparently premised on Doe having informed the church defendants of Evan's conduct), which the church defendants breached, causing Doe embarrassment, guilt, and ridicule.

Additionally, Doe alleged a cause of action against Holy Redeemer, the Diocese, and Schofield for negligent hiring and/or supervision and/or retention, as well as a cause of action against all defendants for "outrage."

The church defendants moved to dismiss Doe's second amended complaint on the basis the causes of action brought against these church defendants involved practices and procedures beyond the purview of secular courts. They argued the adjudication of these claims would result in the court's excessive entanglement with religious beliefs contrary to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The church defendants argued the claim of breach of fiduciary duty was essentially a claim of clergy malpractice, which they alleged had been uniformly rejected by states considering the claim. This claim, they argued, was barred by both the Establishment Clause and the *288 Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

The church defendants also argued the first amendment barred the claim of negligent hiring, supervision, and retention, because those claims required a determination of what makes one competent to serve as a priest, which in turn requires interpretation of church canons and internal policies and practices—determinations beyond the court's scope of review.

As to Doe's claim for outrageous conduct, the defendants argued this cause of action was not recognized by Florida courts. Alternatively, the church defendants argued if Doe's claim was read as a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress, her allegations did not rise to the level of "outrageousness" required by Florida courts. Finally, the church defendants argued the adjudication of this claim was beyond the secular court's scope of review.

The trial court granted the church defendants' motion to dismiss with prejudice stating Doe's claims were barred by the First Amendment.

OVERVIEW OF FIRST AMENDMENT PRINCIPLES

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides in pertinent part: "Congress shall made no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...." This phrase is broken down into two clauses: the first is referred to as the Establishment Clause, and the second as the Free Exercise Clause. "The entanglement doctrine, which prohibits excessive governmental entanglement with religion, springs from the Establishment Clause." L.L.N. v. Clauder, 209 Wis.2d 674, 563 N.W.2d 434, 440 (1997).

An explanation of the excessive entanglement doctrine applicable to the instant First Amendment issue is contained in the court's opinion in Konkle v. Henson, 672 N.E.2d 450 (Ind.Ct.App.1996):

The First Amendment ... contains two freedoms with respect to religion: the freedom to believe and the freedom to act. The freedom to believe is absolute, while the freedom to act is subject to regulation for the protection of society. However, any regulation must meet a three-part test:
First, the statute must have a secular legislative purpose; second, its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion; finally, the statute must not foster "an excessive government entanglement with religion."
* * * * * *
Excessive entanglement occurs when the courts begin to review and interpret a church's constitution, laws, and regulations. The First Amendment prohibits courts from resolving doctrinal disputes or determining whether a religious organization acted in accordance with its cannons and bylaws.

Konkle, 672 N.E.2d at 454 (quoting Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602, 91 S.Ct. 2105, 29 L.Ed.2d 745 (1971)) (additional citations omitted).

As to excessive governmental entanglement with religion, the court in L.L.N. noted:

It is well-settled that excessive governmental entanglement with religion will occur if a court is required to interpret church law, policies, or practices; therefore, the First Amendment prohibits such an inquiry. However, it is equally well-settled that a court may hear an action if it will involve the consideration of neutral principles of law.

L.L.N., 563 N.W.2d at 440 (citations omitted).

Applying these basic principles to Doe's claims against the church defendants, we must examine whether the determination of her claims necessarily implicates an excessive governmental entanglement with religion.

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Bluebook (online)
718 So. 2d 286, 1998 WL 567904, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doe-v-evans-fladistctapp-1998.