TN High Court Says Cult Leader May Be In Loco Parentis Under Child Neglect Law

In State of Tennessee v. Sherman, (TN Sup. Ct., Aug. 15, 2008), the Tennessee Supreme Court refused to dismiss charges under Tennessee's child neglect statute against a religious cult leader in the death of Jessica Crank, a teenage girl whose mother opted for prayer instead of medical treatment for her daughter's bone cancer. Ariel Ben Sherman, a minister in the Universal Life Church, was not married to the girl's mother nor had he adopted the girl. However the mother and daughter lived with him, as did several of his other followers. Prosecutors claimed that Sherman had an in loco parentis duty to seek treatment for Jessica. The court held: "The Defendant's relationship with the mother may be circumstantial evidence of duty, but the ultimate question is the nature and degree of the Defendant’s relationship with Jessica. In theory, the State might be able to establish that the Defendant failed to perform a statutory duty to provide adequate medical care for the child." Yesterday's Knoxville News-Sentinel reported on the decision. (See prior related posting.)