TEMPERANCE, Mich. — The dismissal of a lawsuit against a Temperance priest for delivering an opinionated homily at the funeral of a Bedford Township teen has been upheld by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
The family of Maison Hullibarger says the priest delivered a funeral sermon critical of their son's death by suicide in 2018.
According to the initial suit, Father Don LaCuesta of Mt. Carmel Parish caused irreparable harm and pain to grieving mother Linda Hullibarger after delivering a funeral homily for her son Maison. Hullibarger says the priest violated the family’s privacy and turned the homily into his own personal message, questioning whether their son would be admitted into heaven and saying that suicide is a crime against God.
What made this more shocking to the family was that the Hullibargers had not disclosed, revealed or discussed the nature of Maison’s death to LaCuesta or the community, they said.
The appeals court ruled that LaCuesta's homily was protected by the religion clauses of the First Amendment, which read "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
The three-judge panel unanimously affirmed the dismissal of the suit against the Archdiocese of Detroit, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish and LaCuesta.
An attorney with Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, representing the Hullibarger family, said he plans to appeal the decision.
The full 7-page dismissal can be read below.