11th Circuit: Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine Covers Church Leadership Dispute
In Eglise Baptise Bethanie De Ft. Lauderdale, Inc. v. Seminole Tribe of Florida, (11th Cir., Aug. 19, 2020) the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a Florida federal district court’s dismissal of a suit filed to settle a dispute over church leadership between the church’s board of directors and the widow of its deceased pastor. One faction enlisted tribal police to evict worshipers supporting the other faction during a worship service. The court said…