Dispute to return to court

Marisa O’Neil

St. James in Newport Beach, two other breakaway Anglican churches and

the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles are headed back to court after

failing to reach an agreement in mediation regarding a property

dispute.

The diocese, St. James Anglican Church in Newport Beach, All

Saints’ in Long Beach and St. David’s in North Hollywood were ordered

to mediation by a Superior Court judge last month. The diocese is

suing the three churches for return of property, including church

buildings.

“Now we go back to the judge and the case will proceed through the

court as if mediation had not happened,” said Daniel Lula, an

attorney for St. James.

Attorneys will meet with the judge this week to set dates to hear

a series of motions. The churches are asking for the case to be

dismissed.

If the motions are not granted, the attorneys will prepare to go

to trial, Lula said.

The lawsuit came after the three churches seceded from the

Episcopal Church of the United States last year. The churches broke

away because they disagreed with the Episcopal Church’s more liberal

views on homosexuality, the divinity of Jesus Christ and the

supremacy of the Bible.

St. James, on Via Lido in Newport Beach, seceded and placed itself

under the Diocese of Luwero in the Anglican Church of Uganda, Africa.

It removed “Episcopal” in its name, calling itself St. James Anglican

Church.

The other two churches followed.

The diocese filed suit against each of the churches and in

December a judge consolidated the three into one Orange County case.

St. James administrators say the property is not owned by the

diocese, but by a nonprofit organization.

Members of St. James and their pastor, the Rev. Praveen Bunyan,

traveled to Uganda in February to meet with the leaders of their new

diocese, and ordained two ministers on the trip.