Parents of Minor Child v. Charlet: A Threat to the Sanctity of Catholic Confession?

Oct. 22, 2014
By Julie Love Taylor, Senior Associate

By now, most Americans are familiar with the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal, in which the Church has been criticized for its handling—or rather, mishandling—of priests who sexually abused minors.[1] Recently, Catholics in Louisiana were reminded of this scandal but with a slightly different twist. In April 2014, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued a decision involving alleged sexual abuse—not by a priest, but by a church parishioner—and a priest’s failure to report that abuse.[2] The Supreme Court’s holding potentially opened the door to a sticky situation: Can a court compel a priest to break the seal of confession when the penitent is a minor alleging sexual abuse.

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Homeschooling: A Potentially Relevant Factor in Awarding Final Spousal Support

By Annie Scardulla

Does a parent’s duty to financially support his or her children outweigh a parent’s duty to provide his or her children with an education? This is a question some believe the Louisiana Supreme Court answered in the negative in its recent opinion, Rhymes v. Rhymes.1 Reversing both the district and appellate level courts, the Louisiana Supreme Court held that homeschooling is a potentially relevant legal factor when awarding final spousal support under Louisiana Civil Code articles 111 and 112.2

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