Saying judges cannot become entangled in church administrative decisions, a state appeals court Wednesday blocked a whistleblowing Catholic priest’s defamation lawsuit against the Diocese of Palm Beach.
The lawsuit, filed by the Rev. John Gallagher, came after a series of events starting with allegations in 2015 that another priest at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in West Palm Beach showed child pornography to a 14-year-old boy. The other priest, the Rev. Joseph Palimattom, was arrested, pleaded guilty and was deported to his native India, the Fourth District Court of Appeal opinion said.
