Bishop Ohl Files Motion to Compel Southern Cone Faction to Produce Property Ownership Records

On Thursday, December 16, 2010, counsel for Bishop C. Wallis Ohl filed a motion to compel the Southern Cone faction’s production of documents related to ownership of diocesan and parish property in the case pending before Judge John P. Chupp, presiding judge of the 141st District Court of Tarrant County, Texas. On November 9, 2010, Bishop Ohl had requested that the Southern Cone faction produce all documents showing descriptions of and any ownership interests in the properties that the Southern Cone affiliated diocese and congregations have been wrongfully using since leaving The Episcopal Church. The Southern Cone faction, through its attorneys, responded on December 9, 2010 by producing no documents, objecting that Bishop Ohl has no right to request the documents from them, and claiming that the documents are not relevant to the lawsuit. Bishop Ohl’s motion to compel the Southern Cone faction to produce these documents asks Judge Chupp to overrule the Southern Cone faction’s objections and require them to make the documents available to Bishop Ohl. The motion to compel will be set for hearing as soon as possible.