The judge dismissed a last-ditch effort by the diocese to keep the property when it claimed in September that part of the historic Falls Church in Falls Church city is actually owned by Christ Episcopal Church in Alexandria.
The judge seemed incredulous that the diocese would make such a claim, which, he said, contradicted the testimony of one of the experts ”” church historian Edward L. Bond ”” who appeared on the stand on behalf of the organization.
“Alexandria’s ownership of this property is an 11th-hour revision in theory made 17 months into this litigation, which was designed to fit into the narrowing window left by this court’s multiple letter opinions,” the judge wrote.