A “complaint” was filed in Federal District Court late yesterday, naming Bishop Jack L. Iker as the sole defendant. In this new litigation, Bishop Iker is accused of improperly using the shield of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, referred to in the papers as a “service mark.” The complaint was filed in the name of the local Episcopal group led by Katharine Jefferts Schori.

The filing shows that the Schori-led group does not accept the judgment of the Texas State Court of Appeals, which ruled on June 25 that the minority group cannot represent itself as the Diocese and Corporation. The appellate court found that there is one Diocese and one Corporation and rejected the plaintiffs' attempt to represent themselves as such. By filing in federal court, the minority is trying to make an “end run” around the litigation already under way, at their instigation, in state court. In addition, the shield and insignia in question belong to the Diocese, not to Bishop Iker.

We expect this matter to end in deference to the litigation moving through the state courts.