North Carolina Catholic school had right to fire gay teacher who announced wedding online, court rules
CBSN
A Catholic school in North Carolina had the right to fire a gay teacher who announced his marriage on social media a decade ago, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, reversing a judge's earlier decision.
A panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, reversed a 2021 ruling that Charlotte Catholic High School and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte had violated Lonnie Billard's federal employment protections against sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The school said Billard wasn't invited back as a substitute teacher because of his "advocacy in favor of a position that is opposed to what the church teaches about marriage," a court document said.
U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn determined Billard - a full-time teacher for a decade until 2012 - was a lay employee for the limited purpose of teaching secular classes. Cogburn said a trial would still have to be held to determine appropriate relief for him. A 2020 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court declared Title VII also protected workers who were fired for being gay or transgender.
Sean "Diddy" Combs on Sunday apologized in a social media post after security video aired by CNN that appears to show him attacking singer Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. In an Instagram video, he said his behavior was "inexcusable" and he takes "full responsibility" for his actions.
On Nov. 13, 2016, Dr. Eric "Scott" Sills, a renowned California fertility doctor, called 911 and reported finding his wife and business partner Susann Sills unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs. An initial investigation revealed some evidence that was consistent with an accidental fall. But as "48 Hours" correspondent Tracy Smith reports, other evidence pointed to something more sinister. DETECTIVE: How do you know she — she got an email? MARY-KATHERINE SILLS: I woke up and my dad was just like on the covers just laying there like there wasn't enough room to get in I guess. So, he was just laying there.