Religion Roundup
California Church Ordered to Open Finances in Fraud Lawsuit
The Associated Press
May 13, 2008
REDDING, Calif. - A California judge has ruled that a Redding church must open its financial books as part of a lawsuit claiming its leaders defrauded church members.
The lawsuit was filed in March after church directors at Bonnyview Baptist Church sought to sell the property without the congregation's consent.
Church bylaws that required a vote of the membership to sell assets had been amended in February to eliminate that requirement.
Church member Michael Duffy, who filed the lawsuit, says church leaders also pocketed $90,000.
But the Reverend Danny Ray Smith denies any money was stolen.
The judge in the case says the church can't be sold until the lawsuit is settled.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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