Infringing Confession's Confidentiality OK Under Australia's Free Exercise Clause

In SDW v Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, (NSW Sup. Ct., Nov. 27, 2008),the Supreme Court of the Australian state of New South Wales held that the statute of limitations had run on a claim by a woman who contended that the Mormon Church breached a duty of care it owed to her. The woman had, as a teenager, been sexually molested by her stepfather, who was excommunicated from the Church as a result. Plaintiff now claims that the Church had a duty to protect her against further molestation by, among other things, reporting her step-father to child protection or police authorities. In the course of its decision, the Court held that a law overriding the confidentiality of a religious confession is not an unconstitutional infringement of the free exercise of religion that is protected by Australia's Constitution, Sec. 116. The court found that this free exercise argument was so unmeritorious that it refused to include costs associated with presenting the argument in those costs assessed against plaintiff. Australia's Herald Sun reported on the decision last week.