Universal Life Church Case Law
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Posts tagged ‘court cases’

 

ULC Court Cases: South Carolina Attorney General Opinions

ULC ordination legal in South Carolina

November 5th, 2012

Introduction: Legal Precedent Important for Universal Life Church Ministers Laws that govern who are able to perform legally-recognized marriages are highly subjective and difficult to interpret; even government officials within the same county clerk’s office can have many interpretations of the implications of a single law. In situations where laws are hard to interpret, like Read More


ULC Court Cases: Universal Life Church v. State of Utah

Universal Life Church and the State of Utah

October 31st, 2012

Case Background In 2001, the State of Utah passed legislation known as the Internet Statute that voided any ministerial certification or ordination that was obtained by an individual through the mail or internet. The legislation supported the Marriage Solemnization Statute which stated that the only individuals legally allowed to solemnize marriages were rabbis, priests or Read More


ULC Court Cases: 2002 Texas Attorney General Opinion

Texas ULC ordained ministers can become psychologists without getting licensed

October 22nd, 2012

Remember that the attorney general opinion listed below refers to the ULC of Modesto, CA and NOT the ULC Monastery, but that the opinion is equally applicable to both organizations as well as all other branches of the ULC. Emphasis in the below text is added. Attorney General Opinion Background [Unknown, though Mrs. Lee presumably Read More


ULC Court Cases: Ranieri v. Ranieri

ULC Court Cases: Ranieri v. Ranieri

September 24th, 2012

Case Background Rocco J. Ranieri appealed the decision of a Suffolk County, New York court to award Rae B. Ranieri with $500 in pendente lite relief, which is an alimony amount awarded before divorce proceedings have ended to a party in need of financial support, on December 18 1987. Rocco Ranieri was also ordered to Read More


ULC Court Cases: Universal Life Church v. USA (1974)

ULC Court Cases: Universal Life Church v. USA (1974)

September 6th, 2012

Please note: this court case pertains to the ULC of Modesto, CA and not the Universal Life Church Monastery of Seattle, WA. The latter’s has never had issues with the IRS or any government agency over taxes. Case Background In the case of the Universal Life Church v. The United States of America, the Universal Read More


ULC Court Cases: Blackwell v. Magee

As more states are considering, or have already enacted, new religious freedom laws, Big Law has been uncharacteristically quiet.

September 5th, 2012

Case Background On August 17, 1988, Nadine Fortenberry challenged the will of her late husband, Cobert C. Blackwell. The will left property and a portion of his estate to Blackwell’s first wife, who was deceased by that time. The siblings of Cobert Blackwell, led by Mary Ella B. Magee, claimed that Fortenberry and the deceased Read More


ULC Court Cases: Lynch v. Universal Life Church

ULC Court Cases: Lynch v. Universal Life Church

August 23rd, 2012

Case Background In the case of Lynch v. Universal Life Church, Sandra Lynch initially took the Church to court for allegedly committing fraud. She claimed that the ULC of Modesto, CA guaranteed that their ordained ministers would be able to perform valid marriage ceremonies in the state of North Carolina. The verdict found that the Read More


ULC Court Case: Opinion Of The California State Board Of Equalization

ULC Court Cases: Opinion Of The California State Board Of Equalization

August 22nd, 2012

Court Case Background Robert V. Fike appealed a decision made against him by the IRS to charge him personal income tax and penalties. He was charged $490.01 for the year 1983 and $449.22 for the year 1984. Fike’s argument was that he should have been entitled to charitable deductions for those years due to the Read More


ULC Court Cases: Ravenal v. Ravenal

The Clark County lawsuit was recently settled in the Universal Life Church's favor, so now ULC ministers can operate fully in the area.

August 22nd, 2012

Case Background In the case of Ravenal v. Ravenal, Richard S. Ravenal asked the Supreme Court of New York County for an annulment of his marriage to Cathy Linton Ravenal on the grounds that the individual who solemnized the marriage was not authorized to do so. Cathy Linton Ravenal appeared in court but did not Read More


ULC Court Cases: Universal Life Church v. USA (1997)

ULC Court Cases: Universal Life Church v. USA

August 14th, 2012

Case Background On August 14, 1997 the Universal Life Church took the United States of America to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that the automatic stay provision of bankruptcy law had been violated in the case of the Universal Life Church vs. the United States of America. The automatic stay provision provides that Read More