TEMPERANCE, MICH. (WWJ/AP)—A grieving family in Monroe County lost their appeal in a lawsuit against a priest who made insensitive remarks at the funeral of their 18-year-old son.
A Michigan Court of Appeals said the priest’s words were protected by religious clauses of the First Amendment, backing up a decision a Monroe County judge made when he dismissed the lawsuit filed by the mother of Maison Hullibarger.
Hullibarger was an athlete and an honors student residing in the Monroe area. He took his own life at the age 18 in 2018.
Reverend Don LaCuesta appalled mourners when he said suicide was “a secular crime” and “a sin against God with dire eternal consequences.”
The young man’s mother, Linda, filed a lawsuit against Rev. LaCuesta and the Detroit Archdiocese on the grounds of “intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and other claims.”
Hullibarger says LaCuesta turned his back on a promise to celebrate Maison’s life.
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