Evidentiary Issues Raised In Defamation Suit Against Pastor

The Monterey County (CA) Herald reported yesterday on interesting evidentiary issues that are being raised at a defamation trial brought by Rayn Random, a former parishioner, against Rev. William Martin, pastor of Monterey's St. John's Chapel Episcopal Church. Random says the pastor told other church members that she sexually pursued, stalked and harassed him. Judge Susan Dauphine has ruled that Random will not be permitted to introduce evidence of ecclesiastic decisions at trial. So she may not offer evidence about being denied communion during an Ash Wednesday church service and eventually being told she was no longer welcome at the church. Less clear is whether she will be able to tell jurors that subsequently church officials called police and had her removed from church premises for trespassing. The judge said that action was not ecclesiastic, but left open the problem of how it could be explained to jurors without telling them that Random's church membership had been revoked.