Research Paper on "Maffei v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston"

Research Paper 5 pages (1640 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Maffei v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston

Case Heading:

Catherine R. Maffei, individually & as trustee, & others v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston.

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Docket SCJ- 09807 (2007).

Facts:

Waldo Maffei and his siblings transferred some property to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston (RCAB). Some of the siblings gifted the property, while others received money for the shares. Connected to the property transaction, Waldo's wife, Catherine, released her rights in the property. The deed transferring the property from the Maffeis to the RCAB was in fee simple absolute, made no reference to naming the church in honor of Waldo's father, and did not contain any reservations of rights or to retake the property. The RCAB built a church on the premises, which was named after Waldo's father. There were allegations that the transfer was based upon an oral agreement that the property always be used as a church; however, the evidence suggests that Waldo was willing to donate his property without any such oral agreement. After the church closed, Catherine and her daughter, as trustee of the Waldo M. Maffei Revocable Trust, filed a complaint seeking declaratory and injunctive relief in the form of a resulting or constructive trust on the property in their favor, for breach of contract, and for negligent misrepresentation. Their claims were based on the alleged oral agreement between the Maffei siblings and the RCAB. The Maffeis were joined by plaintiff Eileen Hanafin, who sought to recover a $35,000 donation she made to St. James two years before the church's closure. She made the donation after the priest of St. James solicited a donation, stating that it would be used to keep St. James maintained for the future. All of the plaintiffs claimed that the RCAB owed them a legal duty to inform them that, under canon law, St. James could be suppressed at a future time. The RCAB filed a motion for summary judgment, which the trial court granted and dismissed the case. The Court granted the plaintiffs' application for direct appellate review.

Plaintiff position:

All of the plaintiffs maintained that the RCAB and its representatives owed them a duty, under canon law, to disclose how their property donations could be handled by the RCAB. The Maffeis alleged that the RCAB owed them a duty to let them know that St. James could eventually be suppressed, which would result in the closure of the church, in violation of the oral agreement they allegedly made with the church. In the alternative, the Maffeis argued that their relationship with the priest and the RCAB created a cognizable relationship of trust and confidence, which was breached by the RCAB's actions. Hanafin argued that, when soliciting donations for the church, her priest owed her a duty to inform her of the possibility that the diocese might decide to close that church.

Defendant position:

The RCAB maintained that decisions regarding the closure of a church were ecclesiastical decisions of the type outside of the review of the state. Moreover, the RCAB maintained that the Court could not involve itself in interpretations of canon law.

Court's holding and reasoning:

The Court declined to hold that the spiritual authority of a clergy member over members of his faith, without more, gave rise to a cognizable fiduciary relationship, or alternatively a legal relationship of "trust and confidence." The Court found that summary judgment in RCAB's favor was proper. Because the plaintiffs' causes of action were based on an alleged fiduciary duty or confidential relationship between a church and its congregants, the case raised matters of internal church governance that the First Amendment prohibited the Court from considering. The Court determined that it had to avoid inquiry into whether the RCAB or its representatives had any duty to discuss the nature of property ownership under canon law with the donors. Furthermore, the Court could not inquire into the ecclesiastical authority of the priests to bind the RCAB by making oral promises about church property.

The Court disagreed with the trial court's finding that the Maffeis lacked standing to bring the claim that they gifted the property in trust. The Court did believe that the Maffeis' interests in the alleged charitable trust differed from those of the other parishioners of the church. When plaintiffs can assert an individual interest in a charitable organization distinct from the general public, then they have standing to bring a claim against a trust. The Court found that the plaintiffs' claims were readily distinguishable from those of the general class of beneficiaries, and that their claims were personal, specific, and existed apart from any broader community interest in keeping the church open. Despite that, the Court found problems with the Maffei plaintiffs' standing, because they brought suit as the trustees and beneficiaries of a trust established by Waldo, but Waldo transferred the property to the church before establishing the trust. However, because the RCAB failed to raise issues of standing, the Court addressed the issues raised by the Maffei plaintiffs, despite their apparent lack of standing.

The Court agreed with the trial court's decision rejecting the Maffei plaintiffs' claims that there was a constructive trust. The Court held that the basis of the alleged constructive trust was the shared religious affiliation between the plaintiffs and the RCAB and its representatives. Because the Court was constitutionally prohibited from examining that relationship, it could not make the findings necessary to establish a constructive trust. Furthermore, the Court declined to hold that, as a matter of civil law, the relationship of a member of the clergy to his or her congregants, without more, creates a fiduciary duty or confidential relationship.

The Court also rejected the idea that the RCAB engaged in fraud because its representative had a superior knowledge of the canon law of suppression. Though the priest made a statement that the church would operate forever, the Court held that such statement was clearly aspirational. There was no evidence that the RCAB or its representative intended to deceive the Maffeis. More importantly, Waldo was willing to convey the property before the priest made any promises to him. Because Waldo did not rely on the priest's promise, that promise could not be the basis of a fraudulent inducement. There was absolutely no evidence that the RCAB intended anything other than an outright purchase of the property involved, eliminating the possibility of a mutual mistake. The $1,500 per acre was not an unconscionably low price, which might have given rise to a claim of unconscionability and unjust enrichment. There was also no indication that the property was given to the RCAB in trust; the deed was unambiguous and there was no evidence that the Maffei siblings informed the RCAB that they expected the property to be deeded back to them if it ceased being used as a church.

Analysis:

The Court correctly determined that the First Amendment greatly limited its ability to look into the alleged fiduciary relationship between the RCAB and the plaintiffs. It had already been established that affairs involving the organization of a Diocese were matters of internal church government. While the state can become involved in property disputes between churches and church members, when called upon to do so, courts must resort to neutral principles of law. The plaintiffs' claims did not rest upon neutral principles of law. On its face, the deed executed by the Maffeis transferred absolute ownership of the property to the RCAB, without any reservations. Neutral examination of that trust deed, without looking into the relationship between the RCAB and the Maffeis, required that the RCAB retain ownership of the property.

However, the Court erred when granting summary judgment in favor of RCAB. While the Maffeis may not have been able to establish at trial that a constructive trust was formed… READ MORE

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