Teaching Values: Court Backs School in Same-Sex Marriage Dispute
In Billard v. Charlotte Catholic High School, teacher Lonnie Billard filed a lawsuit against his former employer for sex discrimination under Title VII after being fired for intending to marry his same-sex partner. The district court initially ruled in favor of Lonnie Billard, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit later reversed this decision after considering the ministerial exception to employment discrimination laws.