Dismissed NFL suit cited in sexual abuse suit against church

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana court’s dismissal of a lawsuit against the NFL over officiating at the Saints playoff game in January now figures in a lawsuit against Catholic Church officials over alleged sexual abuse.

Lawyers for the Archdiocese of New Orleans are fighting to end a 2018 lawsuit by a man who says he was abused by a former church deacon. Now, they’re bolstering their arguments at Louisiana’s Supreme Court with that court’s recent dismissal of a lawsuit over the blown call that may have cost the Saints a shot at the Super Bowl.

The church’s filing notes the Supreme Court’s finding that courts have no role in second-guessing a sports league’s enforcement of its own rules. Church lawyers say the same reasoning should apply to religious entities enforcing their rules and doctrine.