ATTORNEY GENERAL WITHDRAWS OBJECTION TO INDIVIDUAL SURETIE

ATTORNEY GENERAL WITHDRAWS OBJECTION TO INDIVIDUAL SURETIE

Pastor's Report Staff

Our readers will recall that in March a California judge reimposed a receivership on the Church knowing full well that the Church would appeal to a higher court. Thus the judge made a requirement that the Church post a $1 million money bond as assurance to the court and the state that the people of California would not suffer loss. Of course, this is absurd since the Church does not belong to the state or people of California. Nevertheless, California brethren signed individual pledges making a cummulative total of well over $3 million dollars! These pledges were legal under California law and met the need for a bond to keep the receiver out pending a decision on the appeal.

The Attorney General had hoped that the Church would not be able to raise the money bond in the allotted time so he could obtain unbridled access to all Church information by means of a new receiver. But the Attorney General, in his own words, was "stymied" by the bond which the brethren made possible. Even so, at the last moment he exercised his option to contest each individual surety for possible inadequacies.

Now the Attorney General has withdrawn his objection to the individual pledges. It is the opinion of the attorneys for the Church, however, that the primary reason for the Attorney General withdrawing his objection is an effort to undermine the Church's petition for a hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court. His basis for undermining the petition is the argument that, since the receiver is "stayed" (neutralized) by the sureties, there is no urgent need for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the Church's case at this time, thus keeping the case in California courts for the time being.

No matter how the Attorney General of California wants to color the issues in the case, the Church vs. State confrontation is most extraordinary and deserving the attention of the highest court in the land — the sooner the better.