Husband Sues Church Over Wife's Affair with Minister

• Key point. In many states, a husband is barred from suing a minister for seducing his wife and breaking up his marriage. The husband also may be barred from suing the minister's employing church. However, the wife is not necessarily prevented from maintaining her own lawsuit against the minister and church.

A Minnesota court ruled that a pastor who engaged in a sexual relationship with a woman could not be sued directly by the woman's husband. The husband and his wife were members of the same church and sought out their pastor for marital counseling. As a result of this counseling, the pastor entered into a sexual relationship with the wife over a period of several months. As a result of this relationship, the husband and wife were separated and later divorced. The former husband sued the pastor and his church, alleging a number of theories of liability including breach of a fiduciary ...