Court Opinion

ID: 9693498
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 16:45:16.265388+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:19:47.649956
License: Public Domain

Bogdanski, J.
(dissenting). The trial court acted properly and legally in concluding that on February 14, 1921, the Round Hill Methodist Episcopal Church of Greenwich ceased to exist and that the Round Hill Community Church was established in theory as a community church and, in fact, acted as a community church during its nearly sixty years of existence.
It is fundamental that conclusions reached by the trial court must stand unless they are inconsistent with the subordinate facts or involve the application of some erroneous rule of law. Craig v. Dunleavy, 154 Conn. 100, 105, 221 A.2d 855 (1966). Since the plaintiffs have not challenged the subordinate facts recited in the court’s memorandum of decision, the question remains whether the court’s *301subordinate facts support its conclusion. An examination of the entire record reveals that the subordinate facts fully support the conclusion that the Round Hill congregation separated from the plaintiff church in February, 1921, and that the court’s conclusion does not involve any erroneous rule of law.
It is also fundamental that this court’s function is to review the case on the record established in the court below and that we cannot retry the facts or pass upon the credibility of the witnesses. State v. Penland, 174 Conn. 153, 158, 384 A.2d 356 (1978); Johnson v. Flammia, 169 Conn. 491, 497, 363 A.2d 1048 (1975).
The trier is the judge of the credibility of the witnesses and the weight and effect of their testimony. Hally v. Hospital of St. Raphael, 162 Conn. 352, 359, 294 A.2d 305 (1972); Salvatore v. Milicki, 163 Conn. 275, 278, 303 A.2d 734 (1972). The trier may disbelieve a witness as to a part of his testimony and accept it in other respects; Birgel v. Heintz, 163 Conn. 23, 30, 301 A.2d 249 (1972); and is privileged to adopt whatever testimony it reasonably believes to be credible. Birgel v. Heintz, supra, 29. A judgment will not be reversed unless an erroneous rule of law has been applied or a conclusion reached that is inconsistent with the subordinate facts or so illogical or unsound or violative of rules of reason as to be unwarranted in law. Schnier v. Ives, 162 Conn. 171, 177, 293 A.2d 1 (1972). Moreover, there is no rule of law that a party cannot prevail unless the evidence produced to establish his case is harmonious and consistent throughout. Indeed, if that were the rule, there could seldom be success in an attempt to prove an ultimate fact. While the ineon*302sistencies may impair the weight of the evidence they do not as a matter of law destroy its probative force. The trier of fact is free to select from conflicting evidence that which it considers most reasonable. Sharpe v. Brotzman, 145 Cal. App. 2d 354, 360, 302 P.2d 668 (1956).
The courts have developed two general approaches to adjudicating church property disputes without encroaching upon matters protected by the first amendment. The first approach already noted in the majority opinion is associated with the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Watson v. Jones, 80 U.S. (13 Wall.) 679, 20 L. Ed. 666 (1871).
In addition to the Watson polity approach, civil courts have avoided first amendment difficulties by relying on neutral principles of property law to resolve church disputes. In Clough v. Wilson, 170 Conn. 548, 552, 368 A.2d 231 (1976), quoting in part Polen v. Cox, 259 Md. 25, 30, 267 A.2d 201 (1970), this court stated: “[t]he fact that the source of the controversy lies in disagreement as to religious doctrinal beliefs and practices is not determinative of whether a civil court has jurisdiction to decide church property disputes, many of which arise over doctrinal controversy. ‘To so hold would too narrowly restrict the scope of the court’s jurisdiction. The relevant inquiry must be whether the court can resolve the property dispute on the basis of neutral principles of law.’ ”
The first amendment does not dictate that a state must follow a particular method of resolving church property disputes, as long as the method adopted does not require the court to resolve an issue of religious doctrine. Jones v. Wolf, 443 U.S. 595, 99 *303S. Ct. 3020, 61 L. Ed. 2d 775 (1979). Under the neutral principles approach as applied in Jones, courts review the documents relevant to title to and the right to control of the disputed property in light of generally applicable principles of property and trust law. These documents include the deeds, the state statutes, the charter and bylaws of the local church, and the constitution and laws of the parent church. This approach allows the potential disputants to determine the result by the manner in which they structure their relationships.
In the present case, it was not necessary for the court to resolve a religious controversy to determine ownership of the property under the “neutral principles” approach. The court was required to determine the ownership of the property acquired before 1921 on the basis of adverse possession. This necessitated a determination of whether the Round Hill Church separated from the Methodist Church. Thus, the trial court based its decision on purely nonreligious grounds.
There is no dispute that originally located on part of the subject premises was a church known as the Round Hill Methodist Episcopal Church. This church had a hierarchical relationship with the Methodist Church. Since at least the turn of the century, Round Hill Methodist Episcopal Church came upon hard times. There was little support for this church and it may have been either closed or at least inactive during the period of 1907 to 1921. By 1921, it became apparent that a Methodist Church could not survive in the Round Hill section of Greenwich.
On February 14, 1921, eleven individuals met at the church, all of whom comprised the official board *304of the Round Hill Methodist Episcopal Church (and who constituted most, if not all, of the active congregation), and decided to organize a community church. The minutes of that meeting provided in part the following: “A motion was made and seconded that the Round Hill Methodist Church be made a Community church. A committee to look after the By Laws of the Community church discussed, the move (sic) was made and seconded that Rev. H. Wilson, Mr. Huyler and Mr. Marshall be the committee. ... It was voted that Rev. Wilson see Rev. Rogers, pastor of the North Greenwich Congregational church, and have a talk with him about joining their church with ours.” The record reveals that the North Greenwich Congregational Church did in fact join the Round Hill Community Church.
From that moment on, the Round Hill Methodist Episcopal Church ceased to exist and the Round Hill Community Church was bom as a nondenominational church to serve the community of Greenwich; it was established in theory as a community church and during its nearly sixty years of existence, Round Hill in fact acted as a community church. A community church has been defined as an “interdenominational or nondenominational church for community use . . . .” Webster, Third New International Dictionary. As a community church Round Hill prospered; its membership significantly increased. The court concluded that Round Hill Community’s church polity, and that of its corporate successor Round Hill Community Church, Inc., has always been independent and congregational in form, and that it has never had a connection with the hierarchical polity of the Methodist Church.
*305In addition to the resolution of February 14,1921, creating a community church, the court took into consideration matters which subsequently occurred to confirm the congregation’s intent to establish an independent church. These include the following: Two years after the birth of Round Hill, a separate nonstock corporation, Round Hill Community Association, Inc., was organized to take title to real property held for Round Hill. This nonstock corporation was not organized as an ecclesiastical corporation and its articles of association made no reference to the Methodist Church, connection or trust; all the property to which Round Hill took title since its birth made no reference to the Methodist Church, connection or trust. In 1952 Round Hill incorporated as an ecclesiastical corporation under the general provisions and not under that part of the chapter of the General Statutes which had provisions for the Methodist Church, and its articles of association made no reference to the Methodist Church, connection or trust. In all of its temporal affairs, including its financial management and property transactions, Round Hill has always been completely independent.
While a delicate balance must be maintained during such an inquiry it appears from footnote nine of Justice Brennan’s majority opinion in Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese v. Milivojevich, 426 U.S. 696, 715, 96 S. Ct. 2372, 49 L. Ed. 2d 151 (1976), that a slightly more in-depth inquiry is permitted for the sole purpose of confirming the court’s conclusion as to the church’s polity. Accordingly, the following facts can be pointed out which confirm the polity of Round Hill as independent and congregational in form: By its name, by its written invitations to *306prospective members, by its correspondence to its congregants, by all the physical evidence in and outside of the church sanctuary and other buildings, by its telephone and city directory listings, and by its listings in the newspaper’s church directory, Round Hill has since its birth in 1921 represented to its members and the public that it was a nondenominational church. There was no tangible evidence that would lead either its members or the public to suspect the church was connected with the Methodist hierarchy; the ministers of Round Hill, who were also members of the plaintiff New York Annual Conference, consistently represented to the members of Round Hill and the public that it was a nondenominational community church; since 1921, Round Hill did not send lay delegates to the New York Annual Conference; Round Hill never received financial assistance from the Methodist Church. Although the bishops of the New York Annual Conference perfunctorily appointed the ministers for Round Hill, they were first selected by a committee of Round Hill and appointed by the trustees of Round Hill; the power of appointment of a minister was always exercised by the trustees of Round Hill up until the last appointment, which was made by the official board and congregation; assistant ministers were employed by Round Hill who were not Methodists; confirmation classes were never advised it was a Methodist Church; Round Hill adopted a statement of principles in 1958, amended in 1971 and 1977, that reveals that it was a “community, as distinct from a denominational” church; membership certificates issued prior to 1921 contained vows of faithfulness and obedience to the Methodist Episcopal Church but those issued after 1921 did not contain such vows.
*307The plaintiffs claim that none of the acts of Round Hill or its congregants during the nearly sixty years since the formation of this community church would have any effect upon its relationship with the Methodist Church until there is a formal withdrawal consented to by the plaintiffs.
This claim overlooks the fundamental fact that the congregation in 1921 clearly organized a new church to serve the community and not just the Methodist denomination. It is thus clear that with this finding Round Hill was and continues to be an independent church and the contract and implied trust theories by which the plaintiffs seek to gain control of the property must fail. See Baldwin v. Mills, 344 So. 2d 259, 265 (Fla. App. 1977).
The plaintiffs also contend that they cannot be bound by the actions of the congregation in 1921 or by any subsequent acts taken by Round Hill because they were never given notice. The fact of the matter is that the individuals that organized Round Hill in 1921 had no obligation to give the Methodist Church or any other denomination notice that it was organizing an independent church.
Nevertheless, the Methodist ministers of Round Hill were aware of all the significant acts taken by Round Hill from its inception in 1921 through the adoption of its revised statement of principles in 1977. These ministers were not only Methodists but they were also members of the plaintiff New York Annual Conference.
For purposes of constructive notice, these Methodist ministers were agents of the plaintiffs. Principals are presumed to have knowledge of the acts done by their agents when the agents act in rela*308tion to the subject matter of the agency within the scope of an actual or apparent authority conferred upon them. Derby v. Conn. Light & Power Co., 167 Conn. 136, 142, 355 A.2d 244 (1974).
Lastly, the record reveals that the New York Annual Conference and the Bishop and his predecessors had actual knowledge of the organization of Round Hill as a nondenominational community church and the subsequent actions taken by it. The claim of lack of knowledge has no foundation in fact or law.
I would therefore find no error.