Nathan A. "Nate" Adams IV is a Partner in our
Tallahassee office.
Timely Topics
Church splits and property disputes are not new, but they have
certainly grown in number in recent years. In the seminal case on
church property disputes, Watson v. Jones, 80 U.S. (13
Wall.) 679, 20 L. Ed. 666 (1871), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that
the lower court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to decide
whether the pro-slavery or anti-slavery faction of Walnut Street
Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, "owned" the
church. Church splits today occur over different theological
issues, but the process is perhaps as painful. The Episcopal
Diocese of Virginia reported losing congregations that collectively
contributed $10.4 million to the diocese in the 20-year period
before the dispute erupted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/episcopal-church-virginia-ruling_n_1199629.html.
Some congregants never return to church.
