Lawsuit filed against Catholic Church

Delray Beach -- New controversy surrounding the St. Vincent Ferrer catholic church in Delray Beach. A lawsuit is filed by two parishioners who are upset because their children were kicked out of school one day before school started. They say they expulsions were a retaliation for their questioning of the church's finances. In the lawsuit, Paul and Michele Maresca are suing Pastor Thomas Skin-del-eski of St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic church in Delray Beach. The lawsuit is also against the parish manager and the principal.

The attorney for the parents says the church violated appropriate standards of conduct by expelling the children without reason, even after their tuition was paid. The parents argue was retaliation for their questions about the spending of church money after a significant increase in tuition.

According to the latest church bulletin, the pastor says the church has a quote "dwindling availability of funds to run the church and school." These parents point to the scandal over Father Guinan and Father Skehan who were accused of stealing millions in church funds over decades. Some church members believe there were still millions in church endowments and asked the church to be transparent with its finances. They wanted to know where that money went, but they say they never got any concrete answers. That's all part of the lawsuit as well.

We could not reach the pastor or the parish manager, but the Diocese of Palm Beach released a statement saying, in part, "The Diocese is dismayed that the Marescas, in dispute of tuition policies, would take to legal action naming individuals in parish and school leadership in a lawsuit for monetary damages."

The diocese says it monitors the parish's finances on a regular basis and conducts an audit every two years from an independent company. The family is holding a news conference tomorrow in Boca Raton.