• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Christian News Now

Christian News Now

News for the Thinking Christian

  • Home
  • U.S.
  • World
  • Church
  • Faith
  • Tech & Science
  • Family
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Family Loses Appeal in Lawsuit Over Priest’s Funeral Remarks Regarding Suicide

July 12, 2021 by Staff

TEMPERANCE, Mich. (AP) A priest who criticized a teenager’s suicide during his funeral is protected by the religion clauses of the First Amendment, the Michigan Court of Appeals said.

The court affirmed a decision by a Monroe County judge who had dismissed a lawsuit by the mother of Maison Hullibarger.

The 18-year-old, who was an athlete and honors student in the Monroe area, died in 2018. Mourners were shocked when the Rev. Don LaCuesta gave a critical sermon. He said suicide was a “secular crime” and a “sin against God with dire eternal consequences.”

Linda Hullibarger sued the priest and the Detroit Archdiocese, alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and other claims. She said LaCuesta had reneged on an agreement to celebrate her son’s life.

“Father LaCuesta’s conduct was protected by the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine,” the appeals court said in a 3-0 decision Thursday. “As such, we cannot pass judgment on the content of his sermon. Consequently, all of plaintiff’s claims necessarily fail.”

After the funeral, the archdiocese said it regretted that an “unbearable situation was made even more difficult” by LaCuesta’s remarks at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Temperance.

Filed Under: Faith

Primary Sidebar

Trending News

World Vision CEO Discusses Humanitarian Work in Post-USAID World

‘The Revival Generation’ Wants To Redefine the Gen Z Religious Narrative

‘We Couldn’t Have Asked for a Kinder Man’—Candace Cameron Bure’s Family Grows as Natasha Bure Gets Married

Christian Apologist Frank Turek Shares Eyewitness Account of Charlie Kirk Assassination

RSS ChurchLeaders

  • Care for KidMin Volunteers at Your Church
  • ‘We Live in a World That Is Warped by Sin’—Franklin Graham Addresses the Motive of Charlie Kirk’s Assassin

RSS Faithit

  • Pornography Is ‘Open Door’ to Demonic Evil That Can ‘Infiltrate Our Lives’: Bible Teacher’s Warning
  • Wow, I Literally Wept When This Adulterous Wife Texted Her Husband, “Can I Come Home?”

RSS ForEveryMom

  • Patrick and Brittany Mahomes Announce They’re Expecting Baby #3 in Cute Instagram Post
  • 12 Healthy Snacks That Moms Can Make in Under 10 Minutes

Footer

About Us

Privacy Policy

Contact Us

Newsletter

Search

Copyright © 2025 · Christian News Now