Supreme Court of California

There is no clear public policy against religious organizations prohibiting what they consider to be inappropriate religious speech in the workplace, and therefore no liability in tort for such an organization's termination of an employee who engages in such speech.

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/16/2002
• Published 05/16/2002

Judges

•  MORENO, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
•  Foley Lardner Weissburg & Aronson, Foley & Lardner, Stephen W. Parrish and John H. Douglas, San Francisco, for Defendants and Appellants., Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, Jeffrey A. Berman, James M. Harris, Los Angeles, Gene C. Schaerr and Nicholas Miller for General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, American Baptist Churches in the USA, Clifton Kirkpatrick, as Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Worldwide Church of God, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, California Catholic Conference, Loma Linda University & Medical Center, Adventist Health, Association of Christian Schools International and the Christian Legal Society as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Appellants., Alan J. Reinach, Westlake Village;  Alan E. Brownstein;  David Lewellyn;  Bassi, Martini & Blum and Fred Blum for the California Coalition for the Free Exercise of Religion as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Appellants., Law Offices of Steven Drapkin and Steven Drapkin, Los Angeles, for Council on Religious Freedom as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Appellants., Matheny Poidmore Linkert & Sears, Matheny, Sears, Linkert & Long, Eric R. Wiesel, Amanda C. Raffanti and Anthony J. Poidmore, Sacramento, for Plaintiff and Respondent.