Attorney-Client Privilege Prevails in Illinois Defamation Case

Communications among two law firms and their evangelical Christian megachurch client are safeguarded by the attorney-client privilege despite allegations the firms assisted the church to engage in fraud, an Illinois appellate court ruled Friday.

Harvest Bible Chapel terminated its founder and former senior pastor, James MacDonald, in 2019 due to concerns over his management of the church and use of church funds. The law firm Wagenmaker & Oberly LLC was hired by the church to prepare an investigation, which accused MacDonald of “a massive corporate governance failure.” The report was posted on the church’s website and read to congregants.

MacDonald ...