Court severs February 8, 2011 Order for Appeal

On February 8, 2011, the Honorable Judge John P. Chupp affirmed that the loyal Episcopal parties recognized by The Episcopal Church are the legally entitled representatives of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and its historic churches. On April 5, 2011, the Court severed its February 8, 2011 Order, allowing the parties to appeal that part of the case, while staying (or postponing) the remaining issues. This ruling enables the Fort Worth Court of Appeals to review the trial court’s February 8th Order before the trial court reaches other issues in the case. At the March 31, 2011 hearing on severance, Defendants, the breakaway faction, agreed on the record to bind all of their congregations under the February 8th Order, and the Court confirmed that it would put protections in place for Episcopal property during the appeal. Read the February 8 order and the April 5 order.