Church, Pastor Can’t Shake All of Member’s Donation Fraud Claims

A New Jersey parishioner can advance some fraud claims against her church and its pastor for allegedly deceiving her about where her donations would be spent, a federal court said.

But other defendants in the suit were granted summary judgment on Michelle Ramirez’s claims because they were never properly served, the unpublished opinion by Judge Jamel K. Semper said Monday for the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Ramirez sued World Mission Society Church of God New Jersey; its pastor, Dong Il Lee; its Korean parent church; and other individuals in 2014. She alleged that in 2006 ...