Church Militant begs for cash as another lawyer quits defamation case
By Damien Fisher
Never mind Michael Voris and his gay sex scandal; if Church Militant doesn’t get your money, the Devil wins.
That’s the message current Church Militant President Mike Sherry sent out days after New Hampshire attorney Richard Lehmann announced he wants to quit defending the media “apostolate” in the federal defamation lawsuit that could further cripple the scandal-plagued organization.
“There are not too many places on the internet to get the kind of nourishment we specifically provide. We would hate to lose this place to the Devil and allow him to undermine all our work. That is precisely what he wants,” Sherry wrote in a Dec. 15 letter to Church Militant subscribers. “We appeal to you, our good supporter, to pray about this — all of this. We appeal to you out of faith to continue to prayerfully and financially help those of us who remain here in this mission field of Church Militant. We cannot continue if donations dry up.”
Sherry became Church Militant president in the wake of Voris’ dramatic resignation last month. Voris founded the mini-media empire almost 20 years ago, but was forced out amid accusations of inappropriate sexual conduct, including grooming a male staffer and sending shirtless selfies to potential donors.
“The Evil One took a huge bite out of our apostolate”
Sherry blames the Devil for all of Church Militant’s current problems.
“Over the past month, Church Militant has suffered the greatest crisis of its 17-year history, beginning with the scandal that erupted online regarding the apostolate’s former leader, Michael Voris,” Sherry wrote. “The Evil One took a huge bite out of our apostolate and will stop at nothing other than complete annihilation of this good place. He may get what he wants.”
But Voris’ antics in the looming defamation case could have catastrophic consequences for Church Militant. Voris is being sued in federal court by the Rev. Georges de Laire, who serves as New Hampshire’s judicial vicar and a parish priest. Voris allegedly defamed de Laire when he published stories attacking de Laire in support of a Feeneyite fringe group in New Hampshire, the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Voris has again failed to meet the court ordered deadline to finally hand over discovery documents he’s allegedly been hiding. In fact, Lehmann filed his motion to withdraw from the case on Dec. 11, the latest deadline set by Judge Joseph LaPlante.
Voris originally had until Dec. 5 to come up with the discovery documents, but got an extension until Dec. 11 based on the turmoil caused by the firing. After Voris was fired, he stayed on the Church Militant board until Dec. 5, according to Lehmann’s motion.
Four lawyers down
While working with Voris, Sherry, and other Church Militant leadership to get the discovery documents filed, Lehmann writes he soon found he could not continue to represent the outfit.
“During conversations with Mr. Voris and the new leadership of St. Michael’s Media on December 7 and December 8, it became apparent that an untenable conflict of interest had arisen under New Hampshire Rule of Professional Conduct 1.7 (a) that precludes (Lehmann) from providing representation to both St. Michael’s Media and Michael Voris due to these changed circumstances,” Lehmann wrote.
Lehmann cites the same ethics rule used by attorneys Kathleen Klaus and Neil Nicholson when they quit the defense in August. That rule, concerning conflicts of interest, states lawyers cannot represent clients when there is a concurrent conflict of interest. Those are defined as when: (1) the representation of one client will be directly adverse to another client; or (2) there is a significant risk that the representation of one or more clients will be materially limited by the lawyer’s responsibilities to another client, a former client or a third person or by a personal interest of the lawyer.
Nicholson and Klaus quit one day after former Church Militant reporter Christine Niles admitted under oath in a deposition that she did not turn over all text communications she had with key witness Marc Balestrieri. She had previously told de Laire’s lawyers she had, in fact, turned over everything.
Niles later claimed she misread an email from Klaus about handing over all emails and texts, thinking it only applied to Voris personally. She signed a statement filed Dec. 5 that she no longer has access to any email or text associated with the case since she is no longer a Church Militant employee.
Lehmann is now the fourth attorney hired to represent Church Militant in the lawsuit, and the third to quit. The fourth lawyer, Marc Randazza, was barred by LaPlante from appearing in the case due to Randazza’s own ethical issues.
This leaves Church Militant without any representation in the lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial in February. Lawyers for de Laire are objecting to Lehmann’s departure, saying it represents another delay in the case that started in 2021.
“There has never been any mismanagement”
Since Voris was ousted, former employees say board members knew since at least the spring that Voris was living a gay double life while continuing to denounce other Catholics for similar lifestyles. There are also questions about what Voris and the organization were doing with donor money. Sherry blames “Internet chatter” for these accusations and promises in his fundraising letter to come clean with Church Militant supporters, and prove Voris and others did nothing wrong.
“The board would like you to know that it is conducting an independent financial audit to prove there has never been any mismanagement of donor funds, either by board members or by Michael Voris,” Sherry wrote. “The board was never involved in any sort of cover-up for Michael Voris, financially or otherwise, and did, in fact, ask him to resign immediately upon learning of his personal failings.”
Court records in the de Laire case include a loan agreement between Balestrieri and Church Militant reached last year. Voris signed the agreement, lending Balestrieri $65,000 in Church Militant money at no interest.
Balestrieri is either the source for the alleged defamatory statements Voris published, the sole author, or Voris’s collaborator, depending on the different versions put forward so far.
Voris originally tried to hide Balestrieri’s involvement from de Laire, but admitted Balestrieri was the author in late 2021, months after the lawsuit was filed. Voris originally in court documents claimed he was the author.
Balestrieri has claimed he did not write the defamatory statements about de Laire, and was set to give a deposition under oath this summer before he disappeared. Voris is accused of threatening Balestrieri about the authorship in a June text sent on the day Balestrieri agreed to sit for the deposition.
Given Lehmann’s motion to withdraw could significantly delay the case again, de Laire’s lawyers may seek a default judgment against Voris and Church Militant. That would mean, if granted, Voris would be found liable without trial on the facts, and the case would simply be a matter of deciding how much de Laire is owed in damages.
Church Militant looks for new leader who understands the mission
With the future in doubt thanks to Voris, Sherry writes that a new leader from outside the organization will be hired to take charge.
“The board fully understands change must take place within its ranks. It has approved an interview with a possible new director, a non-employee, and will soon replace its current directors who are Church Militant employees, making sure they, too, are faithful Catholics who understand the mission of the apostolate,” Sherry wrote.
Assuming the Devil loses this round, and a miracle occurs in the United States District Court in Concord, Church Militant is already planning new shows. According to Sherry, the line up includes: Unveiling Mary (tentative title) — Hosted by Brad Eli and Rodney Pelletier, The Afterlife Coach (tentative title) — Hosted by Ryan Seybold, and The Extraordinary Road (placeholder title) — Hosted by Veronica Vance.
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Image is a still from an undated video in which Mike Sherry, then in Church Militant’s tech department, acts out a short skit in which he briefly falls under the thrall of the gruff-voiced, rubber-masked character “Loan Shark.” Sherry extorts money from his co-workers, but eventually learns that it’s better to give than to take. Christine Niles also briefly appears in the skit, counseling her co-workers on how to earmark money so that it doesn’t “go to the bishops.” By the end of the video, Sherry uses the Gospel to convert Loan Shark, who no longer demands money, but allows money to be donated to the Carmelites, instead.