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PASTOR GENERAL'S
REPORT
TO THE MINISTRY OF THE
WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
VOL. 3, NO. 4 7
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
CHURCH EXONERATED BY CALIFORNIA APPEALS COURT
We are very pleased to bring you some good news!
DECEMBER 11, 1981
As I am sure you will recall, Hillel Chodos was one of the attorneys respon
sible for suing the Church on behalf of the state and having a receiver
appointed. Mr. Chodos requested that the court award him fees, payable by
the Church, for his involvement. The court denied him fees at that time and
stated that it couldn't be known yet if Chodos had done good or harm.
Chodos appealed that adverse ruling. The case was briefed and argued and
today [ December 10] we have just received a decision that not only denies
fees but has some very far reaching, relevant comments that serve to
exonerate the Church and strengthen First Amendment guarantees.
The key portion of the opinion is the court's concluding paragraph which
reads as follows:
We are of the opinion that the underlying action and its attendant
provisional remedy of receivership were from the inception constitu
tionally infirm and predestined to failure. It follows that the bur
den of the i11-conceived 1itigation, including the expenses of the
receivership and Chodos' fees for procuring that receivership should
not be borne by the prevailing party--the Church.
This case was decided by a three-judge appellate court.
dissents--all three judges concurred in the opinion.
There were no
The opinion is subject to possible review by a higher court, but the chances
of this are slight. However, whatever changes might be made will not de
tract from the moral exoneration expressed in this court opinion.
This opinion will undoubtedly weigh heavily in our favor in some of the rem
nant suits and appeals that are still pending peripheral to the state case.
We fervently prayed to God for His intervention when the case commenced. I
would request, as a reminder, that we now as fervently thank God for His
granting us grace and favor in the eyes of the court and for the favorable
opinion. Although I feel this request is actually superfluous, I feel it
aids in expressing my view as to the true source of victory in this case.
--Ralph K. Helge, Legal Office
FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES
International News
Report From the Philippines Like at the feast sites elsewhere, the just
concluded feast at all five sites in the Philippines was "the greatest