Moses v. Diocese of Colorado

• Decision Date: 15 November 1993
• Docket Number: No. 92SA415,92SA415
• Parties: Mary E. MOSES, n/k/a Mary Elaine Tenantry, Plaintiff-Appellee and Cross-Appellant, v. The DIOCESE OF COLORADO, a Colorado corporation, and Bishop William Frey, Defendants-Appellants and Cross-Appellees.
• Court: Colorado Supreme Court

Page 310

863 P.2d 310

Mary E. MOSES, n/k/a Mary Elaine Tenantry Plaintiff-Appellee and Cross-Appellant, v. The DIOCESE OF COLORADO, a Colorado corporation, and Bishop William Frey, Defendants-Appellants and Cross-Appellees.

No. 92SA415.

Supreme Court of Colorado En Banc.

Nov. 15, 1993.

Rehearing Denied Dec. 6, 1993.

Holland, Seelen & Pagliuca, Joyce A. Seelen, Denver, Jean E. Dubofsky, P.C., Boulder, for plaintiff-appellee and cross-appellant.

Cooper & Kelley, P.C., Paul D. Cooper, John R. Mann, Denver, for defendants-appellants and cross-appellees.

Justice ERICKSON delivered the Opinion of the Court.

This appeal is from a judgment entered on a jury verdict awarding Mary E. Moses, who is now known as Mary Moses Tenantry (Tenantry), $1,216,500 as damages against the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, a Colorado corporation (Diocese), and Bishop William Frey (Bishop Frey). Tenantry was a parishioner at St. Philip and St. James Episcopal Church in Denver. She sought counseling from Father Paul Robinson (Father Robinson), who was then an assistant priest at St. Philip and St. James. Although Tenantry had a long history of mental illness, her condition was relatively stable at the time she began her counseling with Father Robinson. While counseling and advising Tenantry, Father Robinson entered into a sexual relationship with her that included multiple acts of both fellatio and cunnilingus. When her relationship with Father Robinson ended, Tenantry suffered a relapse and aggravation of her mental illness. Shortly thereafter, her marriage ended in divorce. Tenantry is now under psychiatric care which will be required indefinitely.

The jury found that Bishop Frey and the Diocese breached their fiduciary duties to the plaintiff, the Diocese negligently hired and negligently supervised Father Robinson, and was vicariously liable for Robinson's breach of his fiduciary duty to Tenantry. The award consisted of $598,000 for economic damage and $618,000 for noneconomic damage. The trial judge reduced the verdict for noneconomic damage by $118,000 to comply with the statutory limit of $500,000 imposed by section 13-21-102.5, 6A C.R.S. (1987 & 1993 Supp.).

On appeal, the Diocese and Bishop Frey assert that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution forecloses recovery for clergy malpractice and an award against them for the damages sustained by Tenantry. If the First Amendment defense is valid, the remaining issues on appeal are moot. In our view, the First Amendment does not grant the Diocese and its employees immunity from liability in this case. The Diocese and Bishop Frey also assert that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury's findings. ¹ We disagree in part. The evidence was sufficient to support Tenantry's claims for breach of fiduciary duty, negligent hiring, and supervision. The evidence, however, was not sufficient to prove that Robinson was acting within the scope of his employment when he engaged in oral sex with Tenantry; therefore, the Diocese is not vicariously liable for Robinson's sexual acts with Tenantry.

Tenantry asserts in her cross appeal that the trial court should not have reduced the noneconomic damage award because section 13-21-102.5, 6A C.R.S. (1987 & 1993 Supp.), is unconstitutional. Because we vacate the award predicated on vicarious liability, the noneconomic damage award does not exceed the statutory cap and the issue submitted on cross appeal is moot. ² Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the trial court on Tenantry's claims for breach of fiduciary duty and negligent hiring and supervision. We reverse the judgment for damages against the Diocese and Bishop Frey based upon the claim of vicarious liability, and remand with directions.

I

A

Tenantry and one of her older sisters, Joyce Mohr (Mohr), were sexually abused by their father when they were children. Expert testimony established that Tenantry developed a multiple personality disorder as protection against the sexual abuse by her father. ³ Before Tenantry entered grade school she had developed several separate identities.

Tenantry married Geoffrey Moses (Moses) in 1974. Moses knew of, and attempted to help Tenantry overcome, her mental illness. The couple were married for sixteen years and five children were born as issue of their marriage. Tenantry was hospitalized and attempted suicide in 1978 and 1979 because of her mental illness. While Tenantry was being treated for her mental illness, there were periods during which she was permitted to visit her children only if an outside party supervised the visitation. Father Vernon Myers (Father Myers), the priest at St. Philip and St. James Parish, often supervised these visits. The association between Father Myers and Tenantry existed before he supervised the visits because he performed the marriage ceremony for Moses and Tenantry and baptized all of their children.

After treatment for her mental illness concluded in 1979, Tenantry became an active member of St. Philip and St. James Parish. Two of Tenantry's sisters were also members of the parish and together the three sisters participated in social events, taught Bible classes, and supervised children's programs. The husbands of the three sisters were also involved in the activities of the parish and all three men served on the parish vestry--the governing board of the church. By all accounts, Tenantry's mental illness appeared to be in remission during the period that she and members of her family actively participated in church programs and activities. Tenantry's membership in the church started the longest period of improved mental health she had ever experienced.

In 1984, the vestry of St. Philip and St. James decided to hire an assistant priest because Father Myers was nearing retirement. Father Myers suggested the vestry interview Father Robinson, a newly ordained priest who would help the vestry accomplish its goal of attracting young families to the parish. Father Myers interviewed Father Robinson during his ordination period and knew that Bishop Frey considered Father Robinson to be "bishop material." Neither Bishop Frey nor the Diocese provided the church vestry with any of the information about Father Robinson contained in the Diocese's personnel files. Included in Father Robinson's personnel file were reports of psychological examinations that were conducted as a result of Father Robinson seeking ordination. These reports indicated Father Robinson had problems with depression, low self-esteem, and possessed a "sexual identification ambiguity."

Father Robinson was selected by the vestry to begin his duties as assistant priest at St. Philip and St. James Parish in June 1984. Tenantry and her husband were among many of the young couples who befriended Father Robinson and his wife. An outgrowth of Father Robinson's interaction with the young members of the parish was that a number of the women in the parish, including Tenantry and Mohr, were attracted to, and infatuated with, Father Robinson. Tenantry's brother-in-law, Michael Padbury (Padbury), warned Father Robinson that both Tenantry and Mohr were infatuated with him. ⁴

In September 1984, Tenantry sought counseling with Father Robinson to discuss her fear that she was responsible for the cerebral palsy that afflicted her youngest child. At the time of these counseling sessions, Father Robinson knew Tenantry and Mohr had been sexually abused as children. Tenantry's counseling sessions with Father Robinson always ended with a prayer and a hug. The hugs eventually led to fondling, and finally, to mutual oral sex. On at least one occasion, Tenantry and Father Robinson attempted to have intercourse but were interrupted. During the course of the sexual relationship, they never had intercourse.

In mid-1985, Tenantry told Mohr about her sexual relationship with Father Robinson. Mohr confronted Father Robinson who at first denied, but then admitted, there was a sexual relationship. Father Robinson concluded his conversation with Mohr by indicating that Mohr must keep his sexual relationship with Tenantry a secret because the conversation constituted a confession. Despite Father Robinson's attempt to keep Mohr from disclosing the sexual relationship with Tenantry, Mohr discussed the conversation with her husband. While visiting another Episcopal church, Mohr and her husband consulted Father Bruce McNabb (Father McNabb) regarding whether Father Robinson had made a confession and what course of action they should take to help Tenantry. Father McNabb told Mohr she had not received a confession and was not required to keep the relationship confidential. He recommended that Mohr and her husband immediately tell Father Robinson's superior, Father Myers, about the relationship.

Acting on Father McNabb's recommendation, Mohr and her husband saw Father Myers. Mohr told Father Myers about the sexual relationship between Tenantry and Father Robinson and about Father Robinson's attempt to keep the relationship a secret. Mohr advised Father Myers that she had consulted Father McNabb and that he told her Father Robinson could not force her to be quiet. Father Myers' reaction to the sexual relationship shocked both Mohr and her husband. ⁵ Father Myers was angered that Mohr did not keep Father Robinson's secret and scolded her for discussing the relationship with her husband and Father McNabb. Father Myers said that Father Robinson was bishop material and that Mohr and her husband should not ruin his career. Father Myers also asked them why they were trying to destroy Father Robinson and said that Father Robinson's actions were not that bad and that Tenantry had not been injured. As a result of this meeting, Mohr's husband resigned from the vestry and the couple decided to disassociate themselves from the St. Philip and St. James parish.

After the meeting, Father Myers confronted Father Robinson and Father Robinson admitted to having oral sex with...