Full question:
We are currently in a legal battle with the Pastor of our church. The portion of the congregation who brought the suit hired their own lawyer and paid him out of their own funds. However, the Pastor, after removing most of the offical staff and putting his own people in place has used $30,000 of the churces funds to pay his lawyer. We won the court case to put the offical staff back in place but now want to know if we can sue him to get the money back.
- Category: Churches
- Date:
- State: Washington
Answer:
Typically, the authorized uses of church funds is governed by a document, such as a charter, and the bylaws it contains. Specific expenditures are often required to be approved by board members in a resolution that is recorded in meeting minutes. It may be possible to recover funds if they were not authorized to be spent for the legal fees involved.The answer will depend on whether the applicable rules and procedures were followed regarding the expenditures for legal fees. In some cases, an entity will not pay for the legal defense of a member if the actions complained of were outside the scope of the member's authority, such as personal criminal wrongdoing. I suggest you consult with your attorney, who can review all the facts and documents involved.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
