An Indiana court has dismissed a lawsuit brought against the Archdiocese of Indianapolis by a Catholic high school teacher who was fired over his same-sex marriage.
The lawsuit was filed by Joshua Payne-Elliott, who had worked as a world language and social studies teacher at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis for 13 years. In 2019, the archdiocese threatened to strip the Catholic status of Cathedral and Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, where Payne-Elliott’s same-sex partner worked, if the couple remained on their staff.
Cathedral promptly fired Payne-Elliott, but Brebeuf refused and, as a result, split with the archdiocese. Payne-Elliott sued after his dismissal, alleging the archdiocese interfered with his employment contract.
The trial court initially ruled that the lawsuit could proceed, but the Indiana Supreme Court sent it back for reconsideration. Lance Hamner, the new trial court judge assigned to the case, on May 7 issued a one-page order of dismissal, which did not include any explanation other than lack of jurisdiction for the claims.
“If the First Amendment means anything, it means the government can’t punish the Catholic Church for asking Catholic educators to support Catholic teaching,” said Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. “This has always been a very simple case, because the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed the freedom of religious schools to choose teachers who support their religious faith.”
Meanwhile, Payne-Elliott’s attorney, Kathleen DeLaney, complained about the court’s lack of explanation, saying that the decision itself “offers no reason, no rationale, no basis.”
“The suit should have been dismissed immediately under the First Amendment’s longstanding protections for church autonomy,” Hill said in his brief.