Missionaries’ Sexual Misconduct

Is a denomination liable for the misconduct of its missionaries?

Church Law and Tax 1992-11-01 Recent Developments

Taxation – Church Property

The Supreme Court of Virginia threw out a $1.5 million jury verdict against the Foreign Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. A foreign missionary sexually molested his own children. He was prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to a 12-year prison sentence. His wife and one of his daughters later sued the missions board. The mother maintained that at a missionary candidates conference conducted just before the family left for missionary service in Africa, she entered into an “oral contract” with the board whereby the board promised that if she and her husband became missionaries the board would provide protection for the health, welfare, and safety of their family. The jury returned a verdict of $1.5 million in favor of the mother and her daughter, and the board appealed to the state supreme court. The supreme court began its opinion by noting that “the standard for determining the intent of the parties to an oral contract is one of reasonable expectation—that is, the meaning which the party using the words should reasonably have expected them to be given by the other party.” The court acknowledged that issues of health and safety were discussed in the context of overseas missionary assignments, and that the mother was concerned about potential physical danger “from sources external to the family unit” stemming from living conditions overseas. However, the court insisted that “there is no evidence which would support a finding that the parties contemplated that the board would be obligated to protect one family member from the criminal actions of another family member. Indeed … although [the father’s] actions were unconscionable and the impact on the family tragic, no reasonable person could conclude that either [the mother] or the board intended that the oral contract regarding the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of the [missionary] family encompassed the board’s protection of the children from the felonious acts of [their father].” Since the parties could not have intended or expected that their “oral contract” extended to the protection of the family against the criminal conduct of the father, “the board did not have a contractual duty to protect [the mother and her children] from the unlawful actions of [the father].” Accordingly, the jury’s verdict was reversed and the court entered judgment in favor of the board. Foreign Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention v. Wade, 409 S.E.2d 144 (Va. 1991).

See also the feature article in this newsletter entitled “Liability of Churches and Denominations for the Sexual Misconduct of Clergy.” See also Church records, Hutchison v. Luddy, 606 A.2d 905 (Pa. Super. 1992), and Employment practices, Wheeler v. Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, 829 P.2d 196 (Wash. App. 1992), in the recent developments section of this newsletter.
See Also: Cases Finding Denominations Not Liable

This content is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. "From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations." Due to the nature of the U.S. legal system, laws and regulations constantly change. The editors encourage readers to carefully search the site for all content related to the topic of interest and consult qualified local counsel to verify the status of specific statutes, laws, regulations, and precedential court holdings.

ajax-loader-largecaret-downcloseHamburger Menuicon_amazonApple PodcastsBio Iconicon_cards_grid_caretChild Abuse Reporting Laws by State IconChurchSalary Iconicon_facebookGoogle Podcastsicon_instagramLegal Library IconLegal Library Iconicon_linkedinLock IconMegaphone IconOnline Learning IconPodcast IconRecent Legal Developments IconRecommended Reading IconRSS IconSubmiticon_select-arrowSpotify IconAlaska State MapAlabama State MapArkansas State MapArizona State MapCalifornia State MapColorado State MapConnecticut State MapWashington DC State MapDelaware State MapFederal MapFlorida State MapGeorgia State MapHawaii State MapIowa State MapIdaho State MapIllinois State MapIndiana State MapKansas State MapKentucky State MapLouisiana State MapMassachusetts State MapMaryland State MapMaine State MapMichigan State MapMinnesota State MapMissouri State MapMississippi State MapMontana State MapMulti State MapNorth Carolina State MapNorth Dakota State MapNebraska State MapNew Hampshire State MapNew Jersey State MapNew Mexico IconNevada State MapNew York State MapOhio State MapOklahoma State MapOregon State MapPennsylvania State MapRhode Island State MapSouth Carolina State MapSouth Dakota State MapTennessee State MapTexas State MapUtah State MapVirginia State MapVermont State MapWashington State MapWisconsin State MapWest Virginia State MapWyoming State IconShopping Cart IconTax Calendar Iconicon_twitteryoutubepauseplay
caret-downclosefacebook-squarehamburgerinstagram-squarelinkedin-squarepauseplaytwitter-square