Gibson v. Brewer

952 S.W.2d 239 (1997)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Gibson v. Brewer

Missouri Supreme Court
952 S.W.2d 239 (1997)

  • Written by Tammy Boggs, JD

Facts

Father Michael Brewer (defendant) was a Catholic priest and associate pastor. Brewer invited two children, Michael Gibson and Gibson’s friend, to the church rectory to watch movies and spend the night. Early in the morning, Brewer allegedly touched or fondled Gibson in a sexual, offensive, and unwelcome manner. Gibson’s parents (plaintiffs) learned of the incident and reported it to the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph (the diocese) (defendant). Officials of the diocese brushed off and minimized the incident, telling the parents that it “happens to young men all the time” and that their child would recover. Gibson’s parents learned that other boys had also been sexually molested by Brewer and renewed their concerns to the diocese. The diocese again urged the Gibsons to forget the incident. Brewer was eventually removed from his position. The Gibsons asserted nine claims against Brewer and the diocese, including negligent hiring, negligent failure to supervise, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy, agency liability, and independent negligence of the diocese. The trial court dismissed all counts against the diocese for failure to state a claim and as precluded by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The appellate court agreed that all claims should be dismissed against the diocese. The Missouri Supreme Court reviewed the matter.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Benton, C.J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 816,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 816,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 816,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership