Case of the Day: Ramirez v. World Mission Soc'y Church of God, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 58098 (D.N.J. Apr. 5, 2018)

Summary:

Plaintiff sued for fraud a Korea-based cult operating in New Jersey, which allegedly forced its members to give up their possession which were "used to create, train, and maintain a slave labor force." Defendant church demurred, claiming a New Jersey Appellate Division previously ruled in its favor on the claims arising from the same set of events.

The court denied the motion to discuss, noting New Jersey's unpublished decision has no precedential value, particularly because the New Jersey court made its decision based on its interpretation of the federal law, to which the federal court owes no deference.

Takeaway:

No huge groundbreaking bit of law here, but the facts! The World Mission Church of God is more commonly known as the Saviorist cult, which has recently been embroiled in a major ferry disaster in South Korea back in 2014. In the last few days, allegations surfaced that K-pop legend JYP was a part of the cult. JYP angrily denied the allegation. Also, I like having cases like this that affirm the obvious principles of American law, as it makes excellent teaching material.