Judge Tosses Defamation Lawsuit by Woman Described as 'Jewish Believer'
by Allie Martin
May 10, 2004
(AgapePress) - A Florida judge has dismissed a defamation case against the evangelical Christian ministry Jews for Jesus. The lawsuit had claimed a woman had been defamed by identifying her as a "Jewish believer."Nearly two years ago, Jews for Jesus sent a newsletter to supporters that included a "praise report" regarding a decision by Edith Rapp -- the stepmother of a Jews for Jesus employee -- to accept Christ as her Savior. But last December, Rapp sued the ministry, claiming the ministry defamed her. The lawsuit said the account of her salvation was false, and that Jews for Jesus knew the account was false when it published the newsletter.
Last week, West Palm Beach Circuit Court Judge Catherine Brunson dismissed that lawsuit following arguments from Liberty Counsel that it is not defamatory to call someone a Christian. Erik Stanley explains that like individuals, groups also have rights.
Erik Stanley | |
"Jews for Jesus has a right to free speech that cannot be abridged, even though some people may harbor extreme animosity against the group," the attorney says.Stanley explains that during the hearing on the motion to dismiss, the attorney for Edith Rapp argued that calling her a member of Jews for Jesus was the same thing as calling a Christian a member of al-Qaida or the Nazi Party.
"I told the judge how outrageous that was, and said that simply calling somebody a Christian was not the same as calling them a terrorist," he says, adding that Rapp apparently believed that the Jewish people had "extreme animosity" to Jews for Jesus.
"[If] you follow that reasoning, you could be in some towns in the South that may still have racial prejudices, and attributing a particular race to a person might be defamatory in that town when it's not in another place," Stanley says.
According to Liberty Counsel, the lawsuit was nothing more than an attack against Jews for Jesus for its outreach to Jewish individuals. It even sought an injunction against the group's witnessing activities. Liberty Counsel Mat Staver says in addition to a right to free speech, Jews for Jesus also has a right to seek to evangelize.
"The law should not give a voice to prejudice, whether it be racial or, in this case, religious prejudice," Staver says. "This lawsuit was based on prejudice against Jews for Jesus and an animosity against [their] beliefs."
