wfn.org | GOAA - N.Y Supreme Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against Church

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0215
Web: http://www.goarch.org
Email: communications@goarch.org

For Immediate Release
August 12,2004

Contact: Nikki Stephanopoulos
Tel.: 212.570.3530

NEW YORK SUPREME COURT JUSTICE DISMISSES OCL LAWSUIT
AGAINST GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA

New York, NY - On February 2, 2004, several individuals brought an action 
in New York State Supreme Court against the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of 
America and Archbishop Demetrios seeking to invalidate the 2003 Charter 
granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

On August 6, 2004, Justice Ira Gammerman of the New York State Supreme 
Court rendered a decision granting, with costs, the motion of the Greek 
Orthodox Archdiocese to dismiss the lawsuit. The Justice wrote, bI do not 
think it can seriously be disputed that the Greek Orthodox Church is 
hierarchical.b  The Court relied on a United States Supreme Court 
decision, Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the USA. v Milivojevich, 426 
US 696 (1976), stating such decision was bsquarely on point.b The Court 
further stated that pursuant to the Milivojevich case, bthe courts simply 
do not have the authority to interfere with the manner in which churches 
organize the titles of their clerics, to determine the eligibility criteria 
for candidates for Archbishop or bishop, to oversee monasteries, or to 
inject the state judicial authority into other matters raised by this 
action.b

The Courtbs memorandum decision is posted at the Archdiocese website at
http://www.goarch.org/en/archdiocese/documents/.