Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Archdiocese Must Go To Trial On Teacher's Hostile Work Environment Claims
In Bohnert v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco, (ND CA, Sept. 25, 2015), a California federal district court refused to dismiss a hostile work environment and emotional distress suit by by a former biology teacher in a boys' Catholic high school. As described by the court, male students at the school sexually harassed the teacher, including disseminating several "upskirt" photos and videos of her. In a 38-page opinion, the court rejected the Archdiocese's motion for summary judgment on its "ministerial exception" and "church autonomy" defenses, finding that numerous factual issues remain.