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Events related to legal action
Feb. 19 -- Moderator's Commission meets with Erskine College and Seminary
Board of Trustees and presents recommendations.
March 2-3 -- Commission presents report and recommendations to the General
Synod during called meeting at Bonclarken. Board of Trustees members and others are allowed to provide testimony for
and against the recommendations. General Synod votes to remove current Board and replace it with an interim Board, change
the bylaws to reduce the size of the Board, and make changes to the nominating process.
March 10 -- Court action against General Synod of the ARP Church filed
by Board Chairman Scott Mitchell.
March 11 -- Board of Trustees Executive Committee meets and condemns
the actions of the General Synod, but instructs Chairman Mitchell to withdraw his legal action. Chairman Mitchell
complies.
March 12 -- Board of Directors for the Alumni Association votes
to join legal action.
March 15 -- A second court action is filed by Dr. Richard Taylor, Dr.
Parker Young, J. David Chesnut and the Alumni Association against the General Synod of the ARP Church. Hearing date set for
March 25 in Newberry. Judge puts a temporary restraining order in place.
March 25 -- Attorneys for both sides appear in Newberry before Circuit
Court Judge Eugene Griffith to offer evidence and testimony in the case.
April 6 -- Judge extends temporary restraining order until he can enter
a preliminary injunction order in the case.
April 9 -- Judge orders preliminary injunction against General Synod
of the ARP Church, banning the Church from conducting any business related to Erskine College and Seminary.
April 19 -- General Synod appeals preliminary injunction order.
April 23 -- Executive Committee of Board of Trustees appoints a sub-group
for reconciliation purposes.
May 5 -- Attorneys for Taylor, Young, Chesnut and Alumni Association
file response to the appeal and motion to suspend or modify the preliminary injunction.
May 21 -- Board of Trustees unanimously appoints Dr. David A. Norman 15th president
of Erskine College and Seminary.
June 10 --
General Synod approves a motion stating it would recognize existing trustees and dismiss appeal if plantiffs
dismiss suit and all parties pay their own costs.
Late June --
Plantiffs (Taylor, et al.) propose a settlement agreement to defendants (Synod). Negotiations continue in ernest
between attorneys of record.
Sept 2 -- Alumni Board learns that attorneys have crafted an agreement document
that is possibly acceptable to all parties.
Sept 7 -- Plantiffs sign settlement agreement.
Alumni Board authorizes Chesnut to sign on their behalf, pending signature of General Synod Moderator.
Sept 14 -- General Synod Moderator signs settlement
agreement.
Sept 17 -- Legal action settled.
If you would like to see the settlement agreement, you may view it via this link to The Aquila Report:
Settlement Agreement Reached
Spring 2011: First Presbytery
attempts to bring charges against Dr. Parker Young, a plaintiff in the legal action and an elder in the Pinecrest ARP Church.
Dr. Young eventually withdraws from his session and as a member of the Pinecrest Church in an effort to protect his church
from further investigation.
Fall 2011: A memorial is submitted
to Second Presbytery by three churches (Spartanburg ARP, Peter Waid, Pastor, Redeemer ARP, Bill Slattery, Pastor, and
Unity ARP, Mark Wright, Pastor) seeking to bring eccleciastical charges against the four Directors of the EC Foundation who
are elders in ARP churches in Second Presbytery. One of the primary charges was that the EC Foundation had supported
the suit against the Synod. The memorial did not acknowledge that the action of the Synod was an illegal action according
to the circuit judge who heard the case. The memorial was defeated by a 42 to 21 vote.
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