There exist a plethora of national, regional, state, and local agencies of national and international religious bodies (herein "denominations"). These agencies can be liable for their own acts. For example, they may be directly liable for the negligent driving of an officer or employee; defamatory statements in denominational publications; or unlawful discrimination or wrongful termination claims involving their own employees.
However, denominational agencies also have been sued for the acts and obligations of affiliated churches and ministers. Such lawsuits often are little more than a search for a "deep pocket" out of which to pay damages when the local church has inadequate insurance coverage or financial resources. Most of these cases fall into one of two categories: (1) incidents of sexual misconduct by clergy or lay church workers, or (2) personal injuries resulting from accidents (on ...
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