Pleasant Glade Assembly of God, Reverend Lloyd A. McCutchen, Rod Linzay, Holly Linzay, Sandra Smith, Becky Bickel…

Summary

The Texas Supreme Court held that Pleasant Glade Assembly of God is not judicially estopped from asserting its Free Exercise claim and that the case presents an ecclesiastical dispute whose resolution would impermissibly entangle the court in religious doctrine; therefore the court reversed the appellate judgment and dismissed the case. Chief Justice Jefferson, joined by Justices Green and Johnson, dissented, arguing that the dismissal improperly shields the church from liability for intentional torts.