A Texas state court ruled that the recently enacted Religious Freedom and Charitable Donation Protection Act of 1998 prevented a creditor from recovering contributions made by a bankrupt debtor to his church.

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that a local church, rather than a parent denomination, owned title to church property following a vote by the church to withdraw from the denomination.

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that a local congregation, rather than a parent denomination, was the legal owner of church property.

A federal court in Indiana ruled that an independent church was not exempt from paying more than $5 million in unpaid payroll taxes.

An Ohio court ruled that it was barred by the first amendment from resolving an internal church dispute regarding the tenure of the pastor.

A federal appeals court ruled that a prosecutor violated the legal rights of a priest by secretly tape recording a penitential conversation between the priest and an inmate at a county jail.

A federal court in Indiana rejected the claims of a 61-year-old employee of a church-operated hospital that she had been a victim of age discrimination.

A Louisiana court ruled that a community college was legally responsible for a professor's rape of a student, because it failed to conduct a background check before hiring him.

A federal appeals court ruled that a church-affiliated university did not commit unlawful discrimination when it dismissed a professor in its divinity school.

A federal appeals court ruled that a church insurance policy provided coverage for alleged acts of child molestation.

A federal appeals court ruled that a church's insurance policy did not cover lawsuits arising from the employment relationship.