TX Supreme Court to hear Lubbock defamation case, Fox34 (June 08, 2020)

Guerrero's name was on it, the church claims, because he was credibly accused of assaulting a woman with a mental disability. Under Cannon Law, she is considered a minor.

Guerrero sued, claiming the church defamed him by suggesting he was a child molester. Guerrero won at the district and appellate levels. The church appealed to the state's highest civil court.

The diocese suggests the judges will determine whether a clergyman can sue his own assembly for publishing its list. It warns blocking its ability to publicly protest those lists will go against transparency efforts in the church as a whole.

Guerrero's attorney, Nick Olguin, says there would be no harm if the diocese does its due diligence in investigating claims.

"I find that the church has a hard time for taking responsibility for the wrongs they do," Olguin said. "Here they are again, hiding behind the pulpit. All they had to do was issue an apology at the very beginning, and we wouldn't even be here. We wouldn't even be talking about this case. You made a mistake, say you're worry and move on -- but they refuse to do that."

He says once the church goes into secular media it forfeits its ecclesiastic protections and must be treated like any other company or organization. Olguin says he is happy this case has provided an avenue for clergy in similar situations to sue the church.