By Staff, Baptist Message
PINEVILLE – The Third Circuit Court of Appeal ruled on Nov. 6 to uphold an earlier decision by Judge Mary Lauve Doggett of the Ninth Judicial Court to dismiss a lawsuit against Louisiana College. The suit was originally filed eight years ago.
Third Circuit Judge James T. Genovese affirmed the legal rational and jurisprudence whereby Judge Doggett had arrived at her decision which ruled in favor of LC’s right to determine the content of its faith and curriculum.
Judge Doggett’s original ruling to dismiss a lawsuit brought by four former LC professors was issued on March 27, 2012. Carlton L. Winbery, Fredrick L. Downing, James R. Heath and Connie R. Douglas sued the college in Dec. 2005 alleging loss of academic freedom and infliction of emotional distress.
Judge Doggett wrote in her March ruling: “Under the establishment Clause, the consideration is whether the issues which the Court will have to resolve will necessarily turn upon competing interpretations of religion, thus resulting in the Court becoming entangled in an ecclesiastical dispute.”
The judge continued, “The ‘Entanglement Doctrine’ provides that a court must decline jurisdiction over a lawsuit when the dispute is so intertwined with matters of religion that a proper resolution cannot be made without interpreting or choosing between competing religious principles or doctrines.”
“…the court finds that this suit is so intertwined with matters of religion that a proper resolution could not be made herein without interpreting or choosing between competing religious principles or doctrine,” Judge Doggett observed.
In the final paragraph of her ruling, Doggett concluded, “Considering all the evidence, including deposition testimony of the plaintiffs, it is clear that this litigation arises out of a dispute over Baptist Theology. The plaintiffs candidly testified that their errant view of the Bible was in conflict with the inerrant beliefs of the LC administration and, at least in part, with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
Plaintiffs Winbery, Downing, Heath and Douglas appealed Judge Doggett’s decision. The judge rendered her decision concerning the appeal in Sept. 2012. It mirrored her first judgment and she again ruled in favor of LC.
Winbery, Downing, Heath and Douglas once again appealed Doggett’s ruling. This time the case went before the Third Circuit of Appeal located in Lake Charles.
In his decision affirming Doggett’s decision, Judge Genovese wrote: “The trial court was correct in holding that the dispute between Plaintiffs [Winbery, Downing, Heath and Douglas] and Defendants [Louisiana College] centers on the nature of Baptist theology and church governance over how theology is taught at Louisiana College and would, thus, require the court to impermissibly entangle itself in deciding ecclesiastical matters. Defendant’s declinatory exception of lack of subject matter jurisdiction was correctly sustained by the trial court.”
In a press release issued by LC, President Joe Aguillard said, ‘We believe the Bible in all aspects. It says in Ecclesiastes 4:12, “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.’ Today the court has again refused to sever the chord that has bound Louisiana for over 100 years of teaching Biblically enlightened truth.”
“The three strands are represented by our allegiance to Jesus Christ and His Holy Word, our mission toward academic excellence, and our precious SACS accreditation that requires our Board of Trustees to protect our Academic Freedom alongside Academic Responsibly,” Aguillard said. “This cord of three strands will remain uncut and unfrazzled for eternity.”
Aguillard was quoted by the Alexandria Town Talk as having said, “It’s [the lawsuit] over unless they appeal to the Supreme Court. If they do, the Supreme Court will have to choose a religious side or say it’s not the court’s place.”