Memorandum Number 1368
SUBJECT TO FINAL EDITING
IN RE: Appeal of Rev. David Wayne Meredith from the decision of the North Central Jurisdictional Committee on Appeals.
Statement of Facts
Following a hearing on a Judicial Complaint charging Rev. David Wayne Meredith with several violations of church law, the Committee on Investigation of the West Ohio Conference (the "COI") dismissed Charges I and II and certified a Bill of Charges based in part on Charge III after eliminating Specification a.
Counsel for the Church appealed the action of the COI to the Committee on Appeals of the North Central Jurisdiction (the "Appeals Committee") which resulted in a finding by the Appeals Committee that there had been egregious errors of Church law or administration in that "[t]he conclusions reported by the West Ohio Committee on Investigation were done so without discernable rationale supported by church law as noted in Discipline - 2012 & 2016 and Judicial Council Decisions." The Appeals Committee further found that the COI had "failed to provide evidence to demonstrate their position for refusal to refer charges and specifications 1 and 3.a."
The Appeals Committee remanded the case to the West Ohio COI with the requirement that it engage competent counsel "so that thorough and applicable work is concluded." The Appeals Committee also "ordered" a "pause" in the case until the conclusion of the special session of the General Conference to be held in St. Louis in 2019. The authority cited for its order was ¶ 2716.4 concerning travel and sustenance expenses for persons participating in committee proceedings and ¶ 2706.2.b which authorizes the COI to engage legal counsel for the sole purpose of providing advice to the committee.
Rev. Meredith filed a Notice of Appeal to the Judicial Council.
Jurisdiction
The Appeals Committee correctly held that Rev. Meredith was not a party to the appeal prosecuted by the Counsel for the Church under ¶ 2715.10. He therefore lacks standing to appeal to the Judicial Council.
Decision
The Notice of Appeal filed by Rev. Meredith is dismissed.
Ruben Reyes and Beth Capen were absent.
Warren Plowden, first lay alternate, and Kent Fulton, 2nd Lay Alternate, participated in this decision.
Kabamba Kiboko recused herself and did not participate in any of the proceedings related to this decision.
Timothy Bruster, first clergy alternate, participated in this decision.