Posted on 06/05/2013 9:14:14 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Christa Dias was awarded $171,000 Monday by a federal jury in Cincinnati, Ohio, which found that the 34-year-old gay teacher was wrongly fired by the Catholic archdiocese for becoming pregnant by artificial insemination in 2010.
Dias, who was a technology teacher at Holy Family and St. Lawrence schools in East Price Hill, Cincinnati, was fired in October 2010 after she approached her employers concerning maternity leave.
The archdiocese argued that Dias' employment contract was clear that she was required to abide by Catholic teachings. Undergoing artificial insemination was a breach of that contract. But she contended that as a non-ministerial employee, she wasn't bound by those requirements. In the contract it states that employees must act and comply with Catholic teachings, which include not participating in what the church deems as "grave immoral" acts.
The jury's verdict against the Archdiocese of Cincinnati requires the institution to pay Dias, who is not married, $51,000 for back pay, $20,000 for compensatory damages, and $100,000 in punitive damages. "Punitive damages, as the name implies, are intended to punish the party found liable," wrote Deacon Keith Fournier for Catholic online.
Fournier, who's a deacon at St. Stephen Martyr Parish in Chesapeake, Va., told The Christian Post on Tuesday "the notion that only if you're teaching religion or theology should you be required to embrace what the church teaches is contrary to what Christianity is all about.
He continued, "We're supposed to live morally coherent lives. The Catholic Church is clear on this. When people come to work for the church and any of the outreaches, they're well aware of that, even if they're not Catholic."
Dias' attorney, Robert Klinger, argued that the archdiocese was in violation of federal law, which protects pregnant women, whether they're married or not, or work at a religious institution that requires employees to uphold their contractual agreements.
Steve Goodin, an attorney for the archdiocese, had also argued that Dias had kept the fact that she was gay a secret from the schools because she knew the church does not approve of homosexuality. Dias has not claimed she was fired over her sexuality, but Goodin was making the point that she never intended to follow the contract.
"We always viewed this as a contract case, and then a First Amendment case, secondarily, which was that any church or school, no matter what its denomination, ought to have the right to enforce its doctrine within its four walls," Goodin said following the jury's verdict.
Fournier said he's deeply concerned about the implications of this case, and believes it's becoming increasingly important for Christian institutions, churches and outreaches to be aware of this issue.
"I think we're watching a continued encroachment on the church and her right to ensure that the people who work in her institutions abide by the teaching of the church," Fournier said.
The case "shows a growing hostility toward the church, and an agenda to seek to compel the church to lay aside its deeply-held moral and religious teachings. It will not succeed," he said, noting that this is not the first time in the 2,000-year history of the Christian church that states have sought to get the church to violate its convictions.
Fournier believes the outcome of the Dias case will require churches, church institutions and outreaches, to ensure that their employment contracts specifically state that every employee is considered a ministerial employee.
Dan Andriacco, Communications director for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, told the CP on May 29 that "what's at stake here is really very simple: Parents who pay to send their children to a Catholic school have a right to expect that those children will be educated in an environment that reflects Catholic moral teaching. That's why our standard school contract specifies that employees will abide by the teachings of the Catholic church. That's the contract that Dias signed and she violated the contract."
Andriacco added that the contract clearly states that employees must "comply with and act consistently in accordance with the stated philosophy and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the policies and directives of the archdiocese," and that it applies equally to men and women.
This is the end of civilization when the right to rely on contracts and freedom of religion are thrown out.
They shoulod appeal if for no other reason than to insure she sees as little of the money as possible. Most lawyer contingency state that the lawyer gets 50% if he has to defend the case on appeal. Granted I don’t like seeing the lawyer get the money either but better him than the gold digger.
Correction: Lesbian Teacher Who Was Fired After Artificial Insemination Wins Case Against Catholic Archdiocese
IOW, you can’t uphold a contract and you have no religious freedom.
Injustice prevails again. This is a very basic violation of Natural Law, justice, and the Constitution.
Of course, this is the kind of case that makes the news. But I wonder what percentage of our judges are now corrupt? Is it a majority? There certainly are an awful lot of them.
Headline Detroit:
Lesbian Teacher Who Was Fired After Artificial Insemination Wins Case Against Moslem School
This evil woman should be shunned. This evil decision should be appealed - slowly and step by step. The legal process needs to drag on until she dies of old age of matures enough to recognize that she is shockingly wrong. The far left disgusts me, and I strongly approve of retaliation against such parasites. I hope the Church will stick her in a book room with no human interaction until she quits, but they must not allow her access to innocent children.
The Church found itself up against a jury of twelve Obama voters.
The archdiocese would have done better to simply argue that the contract requires merely that its employees not openly and defiantly flout Catholic teachings or at least not openly advocate the opposite.
I don't believe that the archdiocese would have a problem with an employee admitting, with a contrite heart, to having violated Catholic teachings. I do believe that it is ridiculous to expect the archdiocese to continue employing someone who gleefully tramples on Catholic teachings.
Regards,
In less than a year someone will sue the Catholic church over not ‘marrying’ two people of the same sex.
It was a set up plain and simple.
Just another try to establish legal precedent.
The way I read this story, she’s already left the job. She just gets back pay and the “punitive damages”
I’m for the idea of appeal. Force the “woman” to use as much of the money she won on defense of appeal. I suppose that might be like doubling down since if she wins the appeal she might be able to recoup legal costs. But it’s worth the gamble if only to make her work till the last moment, putting her through the grinder as much as possible for her evil deception. Might end up teaching her a lesson if only to teach her Christians aren’t pushovers just cuz we turn the other cheek.
No one can contest Ms Diaz “right to be gay”, but Ms Diaz thinks she has a “right” to deny a Catholic organization its right to be Catholic in everything it does, including who it hires and the rules it expects from who it hires.
It’s more than doubtful Ms Diaz did not simply proceed to work for the Catholic institution with ignorance of what that institution expects, what that institution’s employees agree to; no, it’s most likely she knew what she was doing was offensive to her employer before she got hired.
But, one has to guess she was determined to lie about what she knew was expected of her and then go ahead and defy the employment contract she agreed to.
Its possible she actually cared more about “making a case” than the child she made via artificial insemination.
There, unless she repents of her lifestyle, etc., she is doomed at the moment of her life, for "God is pro-life."
The Church has always stood against in vitro.
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