Bishop Iker: I don't know why you think it is funny that I have been sued, Stephen.

Audience: Laughter

Bishop Iker: (Chuckling) I stand before you as the most sued Anglican bishop in all of North America.

Audience: Applause

Bishop Iker: Thank you.

Audience: Applause continues

Bishop Iker: I'm presently named in three different suits in three different courts in two different counties ... but all for the same offense ... for standing firm for the historic faith and order of the undivided Church, and not allowing the Diocese of Fort Worth to compromise that by a relationship with the General Convention religion of The Episcopal Church.

As I'm in three suits, because I haven't had access to the Internet today. There may be another one out there I haven't heard about. * [See footnote below.] I've been away from the office.

Audience: Chuckles

Bishop Iker: I tell my clergy, somewhat in jest and somewhat in grief, that I seem to spend more time now with groups of lawyers than groups of priests. Almost every day I am in conversation with one of our attorneys. We have engaged six different law firms to respond to the litigations brought against us.

Let me just summarize them briefly. The first one was brought against us as individuals -- what they called the "former leaders" of the Diocese of Fort Worth -- by three plaintiff parties. (1) The Episcopal Church; (2) a group calling themselves "the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth," and (3) [a group] calling themselves "the Corporation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth."

Our response to the court was The Episcopal Church could sue us, but no group calling themselves "the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth" or "the Corporation of the Diocese" could sue us because that is who WE are. And you can't sue yourself.

Audience: Chuckles

Bishop Iker: Through a long series of hearings we eventually went to Appellate Court where we won the ruling that the people who had sued us in the name of the Diocese and the Corporation were unauthorized to do so. That the attorneys filing the pleadings had not been engaged by the Diocese and the Corporation and so their pleadings were to be stricken.

So they had to repled, and this time they are pleading in the name of The Episcopal Church and in the name of various individuals who would like to claim positions of leadership in the Diocese and the Corporation. It's basically the minority group that voted against our (diocesan) Convention's decisions of 2007 [and] 2008 to remove all references to the General Convention of The Episcopal Church from our Constitution and Canons.

That vote on those two occasions, by the way, was over 80%. So that in 56 congregations in the Diocese, 48 remained with the Diocese and eight have remained with The Episcopal Church. Of the 110 clergy in the Diocese I'd say all but about 23 or 24 have remained with the Diocese, the others have been the minority group going with The Episcopal Church. And that litigation is still active.

Then the second suit we were drawn into, believe it or not, one of the most historic churches in the Diocese -- St. Andrew's in downtown Fort Worth -- had been left a major bequest by a famous artist who had died and had left in her will that when her artwork was sold it would be distributed among three different charities, one of them her home church -- St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in downtown Fort Worth.

They (St. Andrew's) had received two bequests from the trust fund when this rump diocese was formed. And they (the rump diocese) wrote a letter to the trustees saying: "Don't send it to St. Andrew's anymore, they left The Episcopal Church, and they have forfeited their right to that bequest. Send it to us instead and we will hold it in trust for them that they are in the midst of reorganization."

In that case the judge was convinced that since the previous suit had been filed before that one, that that should be abated and wait until the original suit is resolved. So that one is on hold.

And then to my amazement, a couple of weeks ago, my press secretary (Suzanne Gill) called me at home one evening and said: "Do you know you were sued in federal court today personally." and I said: "No, what for?" and she said: "Well, let me read it to you..." And we actually heard about this by being posted on a [The Episcopal Cafe] blog by a liberal blogger from TEC.

And a group, guess what they call themselves? ... "The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth" the same group that was kicked out of court in the original suit with the same attorney representing them has sued me for trademark and copyright name infractions ...

Audience: Laughter

Bishop Iker: ...that I am unlawfully using the name "the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth" [and] "the Corporation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth" and I am no longer allowed, in their claim, to use the Great Seal of the Diocese. Well, that's on my ring...

Audience: Chuckles

Bishop Iker: (chuckling) ...and I only use it as the Bishop of the Diocese. And so we have filed a countersuit -- which has just been filed these last few days -- asking the federal court to dismiss those charges, based upon the fact that Appellate Court has ruled that this attorney who has sued us once before in the name of "the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth" is unauthorized to do so. And then we are filing a countersuit for malicious prosecution and harassment of me by taking me through the federal court system.

They're, of course, wanting to punish me personally and have me pay for their legal fees and reparations for the "damage" I have done to them by using their seal and name and so on. And we, likewise, are going to ask them to compensate us for having wrongfully brought us to court and paying whatever damages the court thinks we are due.

So please pray for us, it's very distracting. It's consuming in terms of time and energy. And one of the things that's most consuming, of course, is money. And the Diocese of Fort Worth, up until this recent lawsuit, which was filed in federal court, has spent over one million dollars in attorney's fees defending ourselves.

It's expected that whatever happens in the first go around will get appealed to the Appellate Court in Texas, and whoever loses on the Appellate Court will appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. So our attorneys and corporation managers have estimated that we'll probably, before this is over, spend between three and a half to four and a half million dollars in litigation.

So pray for us that we don't get consumed by all that and we can remain focused, as we must be, on the mission of the Church -- building up the Body of Christ, reaching out to the world, to the unchurched in the Name of Christ, and so on...

The last thing I'll say is that the (Anglican) Ordinariate option is very much on hold for us because all the property in the Diocese is involved in this litigation. So there is no way we can talk about releasing a congregation with assets and building property and go into the Ordinariate until the final decision of the courts in Texas about who actually owns the property.

In the meantime, as recently as Tuesday (Oct. 12), I had another priest come to me to say to me he can't remain and he was going to be resigning and being received into the Catholic Church. So that brings a total number of five of our young priests, some of our brightest, most gifted, who since the Ordinariate concept was announced, have decided they can't remain. They're going to go individually, with their families, into the Roman (Catholic) Church.

So that's where we are, and thank you very much for your steadfast partnership in the Gospel with us. Do pray for us as we pray for you.

Audience: Thunderous ovation.

Bishop John Broadhurst: Before Bishop Jack disappears nether reaches of the hall, I mean, I have to say to you these men are heroes for the Christian faith.

Audience: "Here, here..." Sustained applause.

Bishop Broadhurst: If I can just go on briefly, I know it has cost him a lot of money, personally a great deal. (Retired Quincy Bishop) Keith Ackerman's health has actually been destroyed by the situation he's suffered. (Bishop) John-David Scofield: When I was at Lambeth Conference I was standing behind a rather elder bishop and I said: "Where are you from?" He said: "I am the Bishop of San Joaquin, California." I said: "Good Heavens, I'm a friend of the 'real' one."

Audience: Laughter

Bishop Broadhurst: And you see what The Episcopal Church has done, its set up a kind of shadow structure and is seeking to undermine and really to steal the assets. That diocese (San Joaquin) is facing litigation. It's a very serious situation. So I would say to you I'm not asking you to find the three million dollars today, but I am saying to you, you know, they need our prayers.

Thank you Bishop

http://www.forwardinfaith.com/audio/2010-09-iker.mp3

*VOL Footnote: Since Bishop Iker's comments to the United Kingdom Forward in Faith's National Assembly occurred on Saturday, Oct. 16, he has again indeed been sued for a fourth time on Monday, Oct. 18. This time in the United States District Court by All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Worth for the "intentional and unauthorized use" of All Saints Episcopal Church's name and service mark.