Does anyone know the background of this case?

Saturday March 31 07:03 AM EST Court throws out harassment award against AME church By DAN MARGOLIES - The Kansas City Star

A state appeals court on Friday threw out a $4 million jury award against the African Methodist Episcopal Church in a sexual harassment case brought by a former church pastor. The decision by the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City reversed a verdict in favor of former Kansas City Council candidate Saundra McFadden-Weaver, who was a pastor at Mariah Walker A.M.E. Church in Kansas City. The three-judge panel of the court ruled that McFadden-Weaver had failed to prove all the elements needed to support a claim of intentional failure to supervise clergy. The panel, however, upheld a $1 million punitive damage award against church Elder Prince Albert Williams. McFadden-Weaver claimed that Williams had harassed her, demanded sexual favors and once grabbed her breasts in church. The court rejected Williams' argument that the two-year statute of limitations for battery actions barred McFadden-Weaver's claim. Neither McFadden-Weaver nor A.M.E. officials could be reached Friday for comment. McFadden-Weaver's lawyers also were unavailable

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2001

Answers

Unfortunately, I do not know the particulars of the above legal case. While I'm not an attorney [though I did complete the LSAT :)] I do possess a modicum of legal knowledge that the burden of proof about sexual harrassment charges typically rests with the plaintiff as indicated in McFadden-Weaver v. Williams[?]. In the absence of a clearly defined quid-pro-quo it is difficult for a conviction to be sustained under close judicial scrutiny. Perhaps we will know more in the near future. QED

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001

Is this Elder Williams the Sr. or the Jr.?

-- Anonymous, April 04, 2001

Hotep... Isn't their scripture that address using the court system (unsaved) to settle things that happen in the church? This incident sounds like a woman scorned....

In Love and Light, Brenda

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

Sister Brenda, What in the posting that makes you think she is a woman scorned? It seems that the Elder admits his guilt when he defends himself by saying the Statue of Limitations has expired since the "crime" was committed. Or am I reading too much into this?

Blessings Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001