A minister who sought 500 thousand dollars in damages for defamation against a former church member who blogged about her experience with his church, will be paying the former members court costs and legal fees.
Rev. Chuck O’Neal of Beaverton Grace Bible Church grabbed world-wide attention this year when he filed a defamation suit against Julie Anne Smith, her daughter and a couple of other former church members. (2 of thedefendants were dropped from the suit in May) The background to this strange sage can be found at bgbsurvivors in the section titled My Story.
What did Julie Anne Smith do that incurred the wrath of her former pastor?
She initially posted reviews of the church on Google and when they mysteriously disappeared, she started her blog to outline her concerns about the spiritual abuse and shunning she and her family had experienced. A few days after her blog went up, she received notice O’Neal was suing her. The defamation claims of Chuck O’Neal did not impress the judge:
“The court finds that the defendant’s Internet postings on plaintiff’s website and defendant Julie Anne Smith’s blog site were made in a public forum and concern an issue of public interest. The court further finds that plaintiff has not met the burden of presenting substantial evidence the defendant’s statements are defamatory.”
“(O’Neal) has the right to govern his congregation in the manner in which he chooses, and defendant Julie Anne Smith is authorized by law to express her disagreement with his performance of those activities,” (Judge) Fun wrote in the ruling dismissing the case.
Some of the best coverage of this Beaverton Grace Bible Church bully suit has been by Tom Rich of FBC Jax Watchdog – another blogger who dared question his pastor and who also faced spiritual abuse and struggles in US courts. To paraphrase Tom:
Bloggers 2
Angry pastors and hyper-authoritarianism 0
If I understand US anti-SLAPP laws correctly, insurance won’t pick up the cost for Chuck O’Neal and his supporters.
Previous post on the blogger and Beaverton Grace Bible Church
Beaverton Grace Bible Church
Court documents
I Corinthians 6:7
Update: Costs submitted to the court total $44,372.55. The costs for 2 defendants dropped from the suit total $16,000.00
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I don’t recall insurance covering the legal bills on a losing and near-groundless lawsuit. Truth is usually immune to a winning libel/defamation lawsuit.
Bad news getting out may be defamatory, but it’s legal to do; it’s interesting how many folks forget the Streisand Effect where trying to shut someone up bring more bad coverage than the thing you were SLAPPing at.
He got the legal outcome that he deserved.
He got the publicity that he deserved.
Makes you wonder what his ‘story board’ will be after this court decision. My guess is he will claim that it is all the Devil’s work. He needs to buy himself a good mirror.
I reviewed the web sites.
What continues to amaze me is the people actually attend a church pastored by such a person (more than once that is) and that they actually submit themselves to his control and bullying. What makes a person do this?
I also wonder just how many Chuck O’Neils and how many Beaverton Grace Bible Churches there are out there. I hate to think of all of those children that attend these places who will be scarred for life, or at the very least come out just a little half baked or mal adjusted. Shame really. Perhaps the church members are a tad strange as well.
@fjc “I hate to think of all of those children that attend these places who will be scarred for life,”
Agreed: Dawkins and others refer to this as child abuse.
Agreed Not:If there was indeed “child abuse”,Why are the police Not involved?
Bollocks!