Finally, TEC press releases have included, with some frequency, statements by legal counsel for TECSC claiming its willingness to discuss \u201csettlement options\u201d\u009d. This is disingenuous nonsense. We should remember the following at a minimum:<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2 We were in the middle of what we hoped could be \u201csettlement\u201d\u009d discussions when TEC attempted to remove Bp. Lawrence in 2012.<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2 In the 90+ instances of litigation that TEC has instigated around the country, none has concluded with a settlement — just the opposite. When parishes in the Diocese of Virginia wishing to leave TEC actually reached an agreement with their bishop, that deal was scuttled by the Presiding Bishop\u2019s Chancellor, who announced there was \u201ca new sheriff in town\u201d\u009d. Offers of settlement in other places have been likewise rejected. And even when the case has been definitively settled by the local courts, as in Illinois, TEC has refused to cease litigation, to the point of sanctions being imposed by the courts there.<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2 The fact is that TEC\u2019s legal counsel was told as far back as 2013 that the Diocese would consider any proposals submitted to our counsel in writing. There have been none.<\/p>\n