Our attorneys have represented clients in the following matters:
- Represented a major Christian denomination in multiple lawsuits brought under New York State’s Child Victims Act, by asserting a constitutional challenge to the court’s jurisdiction where the local church is, as codified in the Religious Corporations Law, “sovereign, autonomous, self governing and self determining” and its relationship with the denomination exclusively ecclesiastical.
- Represented New York City Department of Education employees in a highly publicized lawsuit against the City of New York in religious discrimination claim based upon the City’s denial of their applications for religious exemption from the Covid-19 vaccination mandate.
- Represented New York City workers in a class action lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the City’s refusal to grant them religious exemptions from its vaccine mandates.
- Represented Bishop and Diocese of a Christian Church denomination in the appeal of an order denying a motion to quash a judicial subpoena compelling the bishop’s testimony concerning a religious ruling.
- Represented Hasidic Jewish psychotherapist in his lawsuit against the City of New York in a pre-enforcement challenge to a law that censored private conversations between doctor and patient in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of both the doctor and his patients. The matter was resolved when the City repealed the law and paid $100,000 in attorney’s fees.
- Advised an international Christian university concerning the constitutional validity of its employment and tenure policies.
- Represented a New Jersey township in a high-profile religious discrimination matter.
- Represented major Hasidic Jewish congregation in a challenge to the local municipality’s tax assessment upon the residence of its religious leader, resulting in a judicial determination that the residence was not subject to taxation and the substantial tax assessments over the course of approximately ten years were null and void.
- Represented the San Francisco Theological Seminary after the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Committee on Theological Education had declared that it ceased to exist as a Presbyterian seminary because it had merged with the nonsectarian University of Redlands. The complaint was filed with the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The matter was resolved favorably and the seminary’s status as Presbyterian was reaffirmed.
- Represented a district of a Christian denomination in an internal dispute concerning financial and property decisions taken by individuals in leadership positions without proper authorization, resulting in damages to the denomination and many of its ministers.
- Represented defendants in Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America v. Greek Orthodox American Leaders, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Archdiocese sued a coalition of dissident Church members (GOAL),who used the Church’s membership list to distribute negative opinions about the then-current Archbishop. The Archdiocese claimed that GOAL failed to comply with the New York Not-for-Profit Corporation Law with respect to use of membership lists. The District Court (Chin, J.), denied the Archdiocese’s motion for a preliminary injunction preventing GOAL from further such contacts. The Archdiocese voluntarily dismissed the case while on appeal before the Second Circuit.
- Represented a religious woman before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a case against her former employer who discharged her for covering her head at work in accordance with religious practice. On settlement she obtained reinstatement and back pay in full for all time lost from work.
- Represented members of a congregation, including its clergy and a number of its directors, who were victimized in a widely publicized multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme.
- Represented a clergyman in intra-congregational dispute after its board of directors voted to terminate his employment, resulting in reversal by congregation and reinstatement of clergyman.
- Days before a foreclosure sale, successfully defended a church from foreclosure where the lender failed to comply with various substantive and procedural requirements of New York’s Religious Corporations Law.
- Assisted a religious advocacy organization in informing Congressional representatives about provisions proposed in legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that threatened to weaken asylum protections for religious asylum applicants (some provisions were changed before enactment of the law).
- Obtained religious asylum on behalf of individuals who feared persecution in foreign countries on account of their religious beliefs, and defended asylum applicants on appeal from administrative orders which erroneously denied their applications.
- Obtained “R-1” and special immigrant religious worker visas for pastors and other church personnel.
- Won a landmark case against the City of New York on behalf of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, establishing its constitutional right to minister to the homeless on its steps. Upheld on appeal by U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.