Church Not Responsible for Teen Sleepover Injury

A Connecticut court ruled that a church was not responsible for injuries sustained by a minor during an all-night "sleepover" while the group was visiting an off-site recreational facility. The victim's parents sued the church, claiming that their daughter's injuries were caused by the church's "negligence, carelessness and omissions." In particular, they claimed that the church failed to provide and supervise its own personnel in protecting the youth involved in the sleepover, and failed to supervise the recreational facility's personnel. A state appellate court dismissed the negligence claims against the church.

Failure to Supervise Church Personnel

The court quoted section 320 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts (a respected legal treatise):

One who voluntarily takes the custody of another under circumstances such as to deprive the other of his normal power of self-protection or to subject ...