FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post

Jane Musgrave Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 12, 2017

WEST PALM BEACH
A priest will be allowed to sue the Diocese of Palm Beach for defamation after a judge this week rejected claims that the constitutional separation of church and state prevents the lawsuit from being decided in a secular court.

In a four-page order, Palm Beach County Circuit Meenu Sasser on Tusday said Rev. John Gallagher’s claims that the diocese defamed him by calling him a liar who needed “professional assistance” can be decided without getting involved in the policies of the Catholic church.

Further, she said, the diocese made many of its claims about Gallagher publicly. The diocese posted three comments on its website vehemently disputing Gallagher’s allegations that it tried to cover up sexual abuse by a visiting priest. It repeated its dim view of Gallagher’s veracity in…