Tommy King, Jr., et al. v. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, Inc.

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REL: 06/07/2013 Notice: T h i s o p i n i o n i s s u b j e c t t o f o r m a l r e v i s i o n b e f o r e p u b l i c a t i o n i n t h e advance s h e e t s o f Southern R e p o r t e r . R e a d e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o n o t i f y t h e R e p o r t e r o f D e c i s i o n s , A l a b a m a A p p e l l a t e C o u r t s , 300 D e x t e r A v e n u e , M o n t g o m e r y , A l a b a m a 3 6 1 0 4 - 3 7 4 1 ((334) 2 2 9 - 0 6 4 9 ) , o f a n y t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s may b e made b e f o r e t h e o p i n i o n i s p r i n t e d i n Southern R e p o r t e r . ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS OCTOBER TERM, 2012-2013 2111119 Tommy King, J r . , e t a l . v. The A f r i c a n Methodist E p i s c o p a l Church, Inc. Appeal from B u l l o c k C i r c u i t Court (CV-11-900046) PITTMAN, J u d g e . This appeal, congregation concerns of taken a by s i x former hierarchical national trustees church of a entity, the v a l i d i t y o f a purported t r a n s f e r o f ownership o f r e a l p r o p e r t y t h a t h a s been u t i l i z e d b y t h e l o c a l congregation i n f e l l o w s h i p w i t h t h a t l a r g e r e n t i t y f o r a number o f d e c a d e s . 2111119 In Inc. J u l y 2 0 1 1 , The A f r i c a n ("the national corporation based Methodist church Episcopal corporation"), i n Philadelphia, a Pennsylvania, Church, nonprofit brought a civil a c t i o n i n t h e B u l l o c k C i r c u i t C o u r t a g a i n s t Tommy K i n g , Jr., Timothy Ulysses M. Tarver, Turner, and Annie Wilson Ellison, Lee Hill, (collectively, Turner Jessie "the d e f e n d a n t t r u s t e e s " ) , who were s i x o f t h e s e v e n t r u s t e e s o f t h e G r e a t Hope A f r i c a n M e t h o d i s t E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ( " G r e a t Hope AME Church"), an u n i n c o r p o r a t e d parcels of real property for religious amended, by defendant trustees body p o s s e s s i n g s i x i n B u l l o c k C o u n t y t h a t have been u s e d purposes. filed church the According national unilaterally to church the complaint, corporation, as the announced t h e w i t h d r a w a l o f G r e a t Hope AME C h u r c h f r o m i t s a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h church corporation as o f S e p t e m b e r church corporation alleged that the n a t i o n a l 25, 2011; t h e n a t i o n a l the defendant trustees had b r e a c h e d t h e i r f i d u c i a r y d u t i e s as t r u s t e e s and h a d f a i l e d t o follow t h e Book Episcopal injunctive Church of relief conveying the assets with Discipline 2008 of the A f r i c a n and s o u g h t , preventing among the defendant other Methodist things, trustees from o f G r e a t Hope AME C h u r c h a n d i n t e r f e r i n g the appointment of pastors n a t i o n a l church corporation. by p r e s i d i n g b i s h o p s o f t h e The d e f e n d a n t t r u s t e e s r e s p o n d e d 2 2111119 by asserting that the national standing because, property t o G r e a t Hope AME indicating properties tenus an they s a i d , the intent to the and corporation instruments C h u r c h d i d n o t c o n t a i n any to convey any the trial directed action to remove Great church court the interest a motion a language in those testimony introduced injunction hearing. that there was was entitled from ore preliminary trustees Church to take of the into i t s claims, no defendant evidence trustees at the genuine i s s u e of m a t e r i a l a national judgment declaring and the preliminarycontended f a c t and void filed r e l y i n g upon The n a t i o n a l c h u r c h c o r p o r a t i o n no to the n a t i o n a l church corporation f o r a summary j u d g m e n t on deposition exhibits the AME real corporation. I n November 2012, Hope no A f t e r an entered defendant had conveying n a t i o n a l church corporation. proceeding, injunction church the that i t defendant trustees' purported t r a n s f e r by q u i t c l a i m d e e d o f s i x p a r c e l s of held real property by Great nondenominational unincorporated Hope C h u r c h . " opposition The i n which defendant they Hope AME Church e n t i t y c a l l e d simply trustees incorporated filed their a a d d u c e d no a d d i t i o n a l evidence 3 apart from a "Great response assertion t h e y were e n t i t l e d t o a summary j u d g m e n t i n t h e i r they to in that favor, but a number of 2111119 affidavits expressing from the trial of i n d i v i d u a l members Great Hope AME Church s u p p o r t f o r t h e w i t h d r a w a l o f G r e a t Hope AME Church f e l l o w s h i p of the n a t i o n a l church c o r p o r a t i o n . court entered a summary n a t i o n a l church corporation. their of a p p e a l was Code 1975, § judgment in favor The of the The d e f e n d a n t t r u s t e e s a p p e a l e d ; t r a n s f e r r e d to t h i s court pursuant to Ala. 12-2-7(6). A l t h o u g h we note t h a t the trial court held an ore tenus proceeding before entering i t s p r e l i m i n a r y i n j u n c t i o n i n favor of the church that filed church corporation proceeding review of national corporation, quotes in liberally i t s appellate and that from the brief, i s a summary j u d g m e n t e n t e r e d the the national t r a n s c r i p t of judgment a f t e r the under parties a d d i t i o n a l e v i d e n t i a r y s u b m i s s i o n s f o l l o w i n g the the injunction. judgment s t a n d a r d of We thus apply the familiar entry summary- review: "A m o t i o n f o r summary j u d g m e n t t e s t s t h e s u f f i c i e n c y of the e v i d e n c e . Such a m o t i o n i s t o be g r a n t e d when t h e t r i a l c o u r t d e t e r m i n e s t h a t t h e r e i s no g e n u i n e i s s u e as t o any m a t e r i a l f a c t and t h a t t h e m o v i n g p a r t y i s e n t i t l e d t o a j u d g m e n t as a m a t t e r of law. The moving p a r t y bears the burden of negating the existence of a genuine issue of material fact. F u r t h e r m o r e , when a m o t i o n f o r summary j u d g m e n t i s made and s u p p o r t e d as p r o v i d e d i n R u l e 56, [ A l a . R. C i v . P.,] t h e nonmovant may not rest upon mere a l l e g a t i o n s o r denials of his p l e a d i n g s , b u t must s e t f o r t h s p e c i f i c f a c t s s h o w i n g that there i s a genuine i s s u e f o r t r i a l . P r o o f by 4 had 2111119 s u b s t a n t i a l evidence i s required. The reviewing a p p e l l a t e c u r t must a p p l y t h e same s t a n d a r d u t i l i z e d by the trial court when reviewing a summary judgment." S i z e m o r e v. O w n e r - O p e r a t o r I n d e p . D r i v e r s A s s ' n , I n c . , 671 2d 674, 675 The trial posited that national rather, ( A l a . C i v . App. court, "[t]his church in 1995) entering i s not opined, its a property corporation] that court (citations and the dispute omitted). summary dispute Great Hope judgment, between [AME] centered a vote of the church [the Church"; around a u t h o r i t y of the then t r u s t e e s to convey the s u b j e c t without "the property members a t a d u l y c a l l e d m e e t i n g a u t h o r i z i n g the t r u s t e e s to convey the s u b j e c t p r o p e r t y . " t h e t r i a l c o u r t c o r r e c t l y n o t e d , t h e r e was o f G r e a t Hope AME c o r p o r a t i o n nor Church to authorize the by trustees in parcels " G r e a t Hope C h u r c h . " to q u i t c l a i m deed convey purporting That s a i d , the to that issue upon that court's reading to convey the trial in Alabama t h a t i n c l u d e v a r i o u s and g r a v e y a r d churches, o w n e r s , A l a . Code 1975, 5 the court corporation of s t a t u t e s p e r t a i n i n g t o c o n v e y a n c i n g by e n t i t i e s AME six parcels based i t s judgment i n f a v o r of the n a t i o n a l church as church t h e membership o f G r e a t Hope identified to the vote As no v o t e on t h e p a r t Church to withdraw from the n a t i o n a l any So. two Alabama incorporated public societies, §§ 10A-20-2.06 and 10A- 2111119 20-2.07; however, indicates, "[t]he the as the provisions trustees or of corporation organized Great corporation those under t h i s 1975. Hope were, § agents of only any association, article" nor or organized other (emphasis the added), title however, of that church incorporated or national under A l a b a m a l a w , much l e s s u n d e r t h e a r t i c l e whose p r o v i s i o n s trial to church, of the C o r p o r a t i o n s Church fact, 10A-20-2.06 speak I t i s undisputed, AME in of statutes society, 2 o f C h a p t e r 20 A l a b a m a Code o f language authorized churches, meaning a r t i c l e neither of other conference the plain the c o u r t c i t e d as t h e b a s i s f o r i t s j u d g m e n t . We are thus left with the question whether the trial c o u r t c o r r e c t l y e n t e r e d t h e summary j u d g m e n t r e g a r d l e s s o f i t s reasoning. See Co., 2d 14, 512 So. rehearing) it was trial the McMillan, 26 ( A l a . 1986) v. Warrior Drilling properly ( o p i n i o n on a p p l i c a t i o n f o r granted, notwithstanding the c o u r t gave t h e w r o n g r e a s o n s f o r g r a n t i n g national church church corporation parcels & Eng'g ( a p p e l l a t e c o u r t " w i l l a f f i r m a summary j u d g m e n t i f summary j u d g m e n t was six Ltd. at corporation c o r r e c t because, i s the issue posits and p r o t e c t i o n of i t s p r o p e r t y on fact that it"). appeal i t says, the the Here, that the national " b e n e f i c i a l owner" i n t r u s t o f a l l has the power to seek judicial r i g h t s when t r u s t e e s , s u c h as 6 the 2111119 d e f e n d a n t t r u s t e e s i n t h i s c a s e , do n o t a c t t o p r o t e c t s u c h a trust. The d e f e n d a n t trustees, for their part, posit that G r e a t Hope AME C h u r c h h e l d t i t l e t o f o u r o f t h e s i x p a r c e l s a t i s s u e b y and t h r o u g h i t s t r u s t e e s (two p a r c e l s named i n t h e q u i t c l a i m d e e d t o " G r e a t Hope C h u r c h " were p r e v i o u s l y d e e d e d , respectively, and j o i n t l y to "African Methodist Episcopal t o " G r e a t Hope Home A i d S o c i e t y " Church and " G r e a t Hope Lodge Number 839" r a t h e r t h a n G r e a t Hope AME C h u r c h ) . despite the t r i a l involve a "property dispute," the court's assertion But the l o c a l from a hierarchical precisely and e s s e n t i a l l y merge i n t h e of the p a r t i e s trustees parallel does n o t case. f o r the i d e n t i t y case t h e case Thus, the q u e s t i o n of ownership q u e s t i o n o f a u t h o r i t y t o convey f a c t u a l context of t h i s that South" of a church church entity appealing i n this seeking to separate this t o Ex p a r t e C e n t r a l case Alabama would be Conference, A f r i c a n M e t h o d i s t E p i s c o p a l Z i o n C h u r c h i n A m e r i c a , 860 So. 2d 865 In ( A l a . 2003) (hereinafter " C e n t r a l Alabama Conference") . C e n t r a l A l a b a m a C o n f e r e n c e , a p a r c e l o f r e a l p r o p e r t y was conveyed to the trustees entity, then entity whose hierarchical reconveyed name of a l o c a l to a included church e n t i t y local a unincorporated church unincorporated reference (the A f r i c a n 7 to Methodist a church larger Episcopal 2111119 Zion Church), unincorporated then conveyed church entity. once The more to supreme c o u r t the local reversed a d e c i s i o n o f t h i s c o u r t a f f i r m i n g a summary j u d g m e n t i n f a v o r o f t h e l o c a l c h u r c h t r u s t e e s and u p h o l d i n g t h e v a l i d i t y o f t h e t h i r d c o n v e y a n c e , n o t i n g t h a t " t h e r e i s no i n d i c a t i o n t h a t t h e grantors intended and to exclude and that other, interpretation church to convey the p r o p e r t y the h i e r a r c h i c a l extrinsic of the t o convey the church," evidence power of to the l o c a l 860 So. w o u l d b e a r on the trustees of 2d church at the proper the property: " [ T ] h e AME Z i o n Church [the h i e r a r c h i c a l church e n t i t y ] presented evidence i n d i c a t i n g that F r a n k l i n Church [the l o c a l i n c o r p o r a t e d c h u r c h ] , t h r o u g h o u t i t s h i s t o r y , has a c c e p t e d b e n e f i t s f r o m t h e AME Z i o n Church. The AME Z i o n C h u r c h has p r o v i d e d p a s t o r s , the pastors' health insurance and retirement benefits, worship materials, and financial assistance i n certain situations. F r a n k l i n Church has f o l l o w e d t h e Book o f D i s c i p l i n e , i t has b e e n known t h r o u g h o u t t h e community as an AME Z i o n member c h u r c h , and i t has f o l l o w e d t h e c u s t o m s and p o l i c i e s o f t h e AME Zion Church. These f a c t s s u p p o r t the Central Alabama Conference's claim that a h i e r a r c h i c a l r e l a t i o n s h i p e x i s t s between the AME Z i o n C h u r c h and F r a n k l i n C h u r c h . ... [ T ] h i s C o u r t [has] h e l d t h a t when n a t i o n a l and l o c a l c h u r c h e s have p a r t i c i p a t e d i n a longstanding h i e r a r c h a l r e l a t i o n s h i p , t h e l o c a l c h u r c h may n o t u n i l a t e r a l l y sever that r e l a t i o n s h i p . " "... [A] d i s p u t e e x i s t s as t o t h e i n t e n t o f t h e initial g r a n t o r s of the p r o p e r t y : whether they i n t e n d e d to convey the p r o p e r t y to the F r a n k l i n 8 868, local 2111119 C h u r c h t o t h e e x c l u s i o n o f any n a t i o n a l c h u r c h o r whether they i n t e n d e d to convey the p r o p e r t y to the AME Zion Church. L i k e w i s e , the ' t r u s t c l a u s e ' i n the Book o f D i s c i p l i n e , as i t r e l a t e s to the [second] deed d e e d i n g the p r o p e r t y t o the 'Trustees o f t h e F r a n k l i n AME Z i o n C h u r c h , ' c r e a t e s a g e n u i n e i s s u e o f m a t e r i a l f a c t as t o who i s the true p r o p e r t y owner." 860 So. 2d a t Here, parcels 868-69. the instruments identified in the previously quitclaim C h u r c h " as p a r c e l s 1, 4, 5, and conveying deed to the four "Great Hope 6 were p l a c e d i n t h e r e c o r d a t t h e h e a r i n g on t h e r e q u e s t for injunctive relief, not the categorically Parcel 1 was exclude conveyed to w h i l e P a r c e l 4 was hierarchical " G r e a t Hope AME c o n v e y e d t o two but they church Episcopal do involved. Church," i n d i v i d u a l s as " t r u s t e e s o f G r e a t Hope A.M.E./Church" and p a r c e l s 5 and 6 were c o n v e y e d t o "Great Hope Trustees." A.M.E. Episcopal P a r c e l s 2 and Church, by and through its 3, w h i c h were p r e v i o u s l y c o n v e y e d , r e s p e c t i v e l y , to the A f r i c a n M e t h o d i s t E p i s c o p a l Church South (which, record, for predecessor two allied definitively power. As a l l that appears i n the e n t i t y to the n a t i o n a l church aid agencies, within was the true in are Central t o be corporation) similarly trustees' looks not unilateral Alabama shown and to to be conveyancing Conference, e v i d e n c e adduced a t the p r e l i m i n a r y - i n j u n c t i o n h e a r i n g 9 a the tended 2111119 t o show t h a t t h e l o c a l church i n t h i s case adhered t o a book o f d i s c i p l i n e p u b l i s h e d by a n a t i o n a l h i e r a r c h i c a l c h u r c h t h a t provided that church properties are h e l d i n trust f o r the b e n e f i t o f t h e h i e r a r c h i c a l c h u r c h ; however, C e n t r a l Alabama Conference i n d i c a t e s t h a t such p r o v i s i o n s are merely probative e v i d e n c e and a r e n o t c o n t r o l l i n g as t o t h e i n q u i r y o f who the r i g h t t o convey p a r t i c u l a r p a r c e l s of church property. On t h e a u t h o r i t y o f C e n t r a l A l a b a m a C o n f e r e n c e , conclude that the trial court erred has i n entering, we must without b e n e f i t of a t r i a l , a judgment i n f a v o r o f the n a t i o n a l c h u r c h corporation be tried as i n this case. M a t e r i a l i s s u e s of f a c t remain t o to the a u t h o r i t y of the defendant convey the s i x p a r c e l s a t i s s u e . the defendant effect, the trustees of a c o n s t i t u e n t h i e r a r c h i c a l church, judgment matter e n t e r e d by of law. The s t a n d i n g t o seek relief as t o t h e p o t e n t i a l r e m o v a l , i n c h u r c h body from we to A l t h o u g h we have no q u a r r e l with the n a t i o n a l church corporation's from trustees cannot the t r i a l court agree here judgment i s r e v e r s e d , t h e w i d e r body o f that the summary i s correct as a and t h e c a u s e i s remanded f o r f u r t h e r p r o c e e d i n g s . REVERSED AND REMANDED. Thompson, P . J . , a n d Thomas, Moore, concur. 10 and D o n a l d s o n , J J . ,

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