Another win in Will McRaney’s quest for justice.
4 straight defeats for NAMB & Kevin Ezell.
Will the NAMB trustees stop these humiliations?
The North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) got more bad news in its attempts to avoid discovery in the lawsuit filed against it by Will McRaney. On Wednesday, January 12, 2022, federal court for the Northern District of Mississippi denied NAMB’s request for summary judgement. In rejecting the motion, the court said that it was not time to consider summary judgment—it should wait on discovery.
This is a big win for Will McRaney as he attempts to hold NAMB accountable for harm he claims NAMB and Ezell did to him.
NAMB has now lost four straight rulings to McRaney. NAMB and Ezell lost in a ruling at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, requested and was denied an en banc hearing at the 5th Circuit, and then appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States and was denied. Today’s ruling is the fourth loss in as many tries.
NAMB and Kevin Ezell lost all those bids to delay or avoid discovery.
According to the court order,
“The Defendant has filed this motion months prior to the completion of discovery, a fact pointed out by the Plaintiff, who requests pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(d) that the Court deny or defer the Defendant’s motion pending the completion of discovery in this matter, including discovery requests propounded by the Plaintiff related to the subject of the Defendant’s pending motion [85, 86].
“The Court agrees with the Plaintiff that discovery, including discovery related to the subject of the Defendant’s pending motion for partial summary judgment, should be completed prior to the Court considering the Defendant’s pending motion, which seeks dispositive resolution of one or more of the Plaintiff’s claims. Accordingly, the Court shall deny the Defendant’s presently pending motion, pending the completion of discovery. The Court further directs the parties to complete discovery in this matter, within parameters established or to be established by the assigned Magistrate Judge. Upon the completion of discovery, the Defendant may re-file the present motion, as well as any additional dispositive motion(s).”
Discovery of truth takes a step forward.
So, will NAMB comply with the federal court order?
Or, will Ezell and NAMB attempt another Hail Mary to avoid discovery?
Any such move would further reveal the character—or we should say lack of character—of the Southern Baptists associated with the North American Mission Board. They have lied in order to avoid discovery—and that forces us to wonder, what are they hiding in the NAMB books?
What will discovery reveal about the salaries? What will discovery reveal about coordination, if any, in false legal filings between NAMB and ERLC?
What is it that Ezell and his cronies at NAMB fear most?
Buckle up. It may not be long until we find out just what Ezell and NAMB are hiding.