New lawsuit filed by disassociated group

A group that left The Episcopal Church in 2012 is again suing local Episcopalians and The Episcopal Church, filing a lawsuit in Dorchester County.

The breakaway group, which is continuing to use the name “The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina,” included the names of 27 parishes as plaintiffs in the suit. It was filed on Sunday, November 19 in St. George, the same venue where the disassociated group initially filed its legal action in 2013, seeking to take the properties of the Diocese of South Carolina and most of its parishes out of The Episcopal Church.

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled August 2 that those properties must remain with the Church and its local diocese, The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. The Supreme Court rejected two post-opinion motions on November 19, making the ruling final.  The new filing in Dorchester County cites the little-used “betterments statute” to seek compensation from TECinSC and The Episcopal Church for the cost of improvements made to the properties over the years.

“This new filing is not only completely without merit, but unfortunate and inappropriate. It moves us no closer to the kind of resolution that restores unity to our diocese,” Chancellor Thomas S. Tisdale said.

The Right Reverend Gladstone B. Adams III, Bishop of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, expressed hope that all the parties will now direct their assets and energy toward a common goal of reunifying and restoring the Diocese.

“I appeal to the leaders of the disassociated group and their counsel to allow the people in the affected parishes to start having the necessary conversations with us to ensure that they can continue to worship in their churches. It is time to begin healing this division,” Bishop Adams said.

All parties in the case have previously agreed to mediation to work out how to implement the Supreme Court ruling as well as issues raised in a separate federal lawsuit. That mediation is scheduled to resume in Columbia December 4-5.

The Episcopal Church in South Carolina is the recognized diocese of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion in eastern South Carolina. During the division, it has continued to serve more than 7,000 parishioners in 31 congregations.