1 B310559
I
N
T
HE
C
OURT OF
A
PPEAL
OF THE
S
TATE OF
C
ALIFORNIA
S
ECOND
A
PPELLATE
D
ISTRICT
______________
CHRISSIE CARNELL BIXLER; CEDRIC BIXLER-ZAVALA; JANE DOE #1; AND JANE DOE #2,
Plaintiffs and Petitioners v.
SUPERIOR COURT FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES,
Respondent
. DANIEL MASTERSON, CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS TECHNOLOGY CENTER,
Defendants and Real Parties in Interest
.
_____________ A
PPEAL FROM
L
OS
A
NGELES
C
OUNTY
S
UPERIOR
C
OURT
H
ON
.
S
TEVEN
J.
K
LEIFIELD
,
D
EPT
.
57,
C
ASE
N
O
.
19STCV29458 ________________
L
AW AND
R
ELIGION
P
ROFESSORS
’
AMICUS BRIEF FOR PLAINTIFFS
_______________ L
ESLIE
C.
G
RIFFIN
(B
AR
N
O
.
174017) U
NIVERSITY OF
N
EVADA
,
L
AS
V
EGAS
W
ILLIAM
S.
B
OYD
S
CHOOL OF
L
AW
4505
S.
M
ARYLAND
P
KWY
.,
B
OX
451003 L
AS
V
EGAS
,
NV
89154-1003 (713) 301-3105 leslie.griffin@unlv.edu
Amicus Counsel
Court of Appeal, Second Appellate DistrictDaniel P. PotterElectronically RECEIVED on 3/3/2021 at 4:24:52 PM
Court of Appeal, Second Appellate DistrictDaniel P. PotterElectronically FILED on 3/3/2021 by Maria Perez, Deputy Clerk
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ......................................................... 3 INTERESTS OF AMICI ................................................................ 5 AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF ............................................................. 8 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ....................................................... 8 ARGUMENT ................................................................................ 10
I.
Petitioners’ Claims Must Be Protected by the Courts
............................................................... 10
II.
Petitioners’ Right to Leave a Religion is Protected by the First Amendment
................. 15
III.
The Ministerial Exception Does Not Block This Suit
................................................................. 18
CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 21 CERTIFICATE OF WORD COUNT ........................................... 23 PROOF OF SERVICE ................................................................. 24
3
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page Cases
Bollard v. Cal. Province of the Soc'y of Jesus (9th Cir.1999),
196 F.3d 940..................................................................................... 19
Clement v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie (W.D. Pa. June 16, 2017)
, No. CV 16-117 ERIE, 2017 WL 2619134 ........................................ 20
Doe v. First Presbyterian Church U.S.A. of Tulsa (2017)
, 421 P.3d 284..................................................................................... 17
Dolquist v. Heartland Presbytery (D. Kan. 2004)
, 342 F. Supp. 2d 996 ......................................................................... 19
Elvig v. Calvin Presbyterian Church (9th Cir. 2004)
, 375 F.3d 951..................................................................................... 19
Employment Division, Dep’t of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith (1990)
, 494 U.S. 872 ........................................................................... 14
Guinn v. Church of Christ of Collinsville (Okla. 1989)
, 775 P.2d 766..................................................................................... 17
Hadnot v. Shaw (Okla. 1992)
, 826 P.2d 978..................................................................................... 17
Hope Internat. Univ. v. Superior Court (2004),
119 Cal.App.4th 719 ........................................................................ 19
Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & Sch. v. E.E.O.C. (2012),
565 U.S. 171 .......................................................................... 18
Hutchinson v. Luddy (Pa. 1992),
606 A.2d 905 ...................................................................................... 8
Malicki v. Doe (Fla.2002),
814 So.2d 347 ................................................................................... 19
McKelvey v. Pierce (N.J. 2002)
800 A.2d 840 .................................................................................... 20