Virginia Court Overturns Dismissal of Lawsuit Against David Platt’s McLean Bible Church

Virginia court overturns dismissal of lawsuit against David Platt’s McLean Bible Church

An ongoing legal battle between Pastor David Platt’s multi-campus McLean Bible Church in Virginia and disgruntled longtime members over the 2021 election of new elders amid allegations of leftward drift was given new life on Tuesday by the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

A Church Is Not a Sovereign

In a pivotal ruling, a Virigina court draws a “subtle but meaningful” line: faith communities enjoy protections, not exemption from the rule of law. Everyone is under the law. That’s the conclusion of the Virginia Court of Appeals in its decision keeping a lawsuit against McLean Bible Church alive. McLean Bible Church, where the embattled David Platt pastors, argued the actions of its elders could not be reviewed by a court—in fact even discover…

McLean Bible Church case gets new life in appeals court ruling

A long-running legal dispute between leadership of McLean Bible Church and members who have accused Pastor David Platt of attempting to take over the church got new life — yet again — May 19. The Virginia Court of Appeals remanded the case to a circuit court for reconsideration, based on a request for additional discovery. […]

Court to McLean Bible Church: You Are Not Above the Law

In a ruling issued Tuesday, the appellate court reversed a lower court dismissal in Gaskins v. McLean Bible Church and sent the case back to Fairfax County Circuit Court for further proceedings. According to plaintiffs’ attorney Rick Boyer, the decision represents a major rejection of the church leadership’s attempt to hide behind sweeping claims of ecclesiastical immunity. The case stems from the now-infamous 2021 elder election battle at MBC, …