Tim Timberlake Lawsuit: Federal Ruling and State Court Cases

The Tim Timberlake lawsuit most people are searching for is the federal case Weems v. Association of Related Churches, filed in July 2023 by ousted Celebration Church founders Stovall and Kerri Weems. Timberlake, who succeeded Weems as senior pastor of the Jacksonville megachurch in September 2021, was not named as a defendant. The complaint instead described him as an alleged “undisclosed agent” of the church-planting network the Weemses accused of orchestrating their removal. A federal judge dismissed the case in December 2024, and an appeal is pending before the Eleventh Circuit.¹²

How Timberlake Came Into the Picture

Stovall Weems founded Celebration Church in 1998 and grew it to nearly 12,000 members over more than two decades.³⁴⁵⁶

A few months later, the board of trustees said it had discovered unauthorized large financial transactions and suspended Stovall and Kerri Weems from their positions in January 2022, banning them from church property.⁴⁷ Weems was terminated as a church employee in April 2022, and the board released a 22-page investigative report accusing him of financial misconduct and “rampant spiritual and emotional abuse.”⁸⁹ Weems denied the findings, calling the report a “character assassination” and his removal an “orchestrated coup.”¹⁰

The Federal Lawsuit That Named Timberlake

In July 2023, the Weemses filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The defendants were the Association of Related Churches (ARC) and three of its leaders: co-founder Chris Hodges, executive director Dino Rizzo, and founding board member John Siebeling. Rizzo and Siebeling had previously served as overseers of Celebration Church until September 2021.² The plaintiffs included the Weemses personally and several affiliated entities: Celebration Global, Inc., Honey Lake Farms, Inc., NorthStream Management Group, LLC, and Weems Group, LLC.¹¹

The complaint framed the dispute as a business conspiracy rather than a religious one. It alleged that ARC leaders viewed the Weemses as “perceived threats and competitors” to ARC’s church-growth model, particularly after Weems proposed shifting Celebration Church’s focus toward mission work and potentially redirecting donations away from ARC. The church had historically donated between $150,000 and $200,000 annually to ARC.¹ Two counts were pleaded: tortious interference with business relationships and conspiracy.¹¹

Timberlake’s role in the complaint was descriptive, not accusatory in a legal sense. The Weemses alleged that Timberlake was used as an “undisclosed agent” by the ARC defendants to carry out their directives, oust Weems, and continue ARC’s growth model at Celebration Church.² He was not sued. No claim was brought against him personally, and no relief was sought from him.

ARC denied the allegations. In a public statement, the organization said it was “saddened” by the lawsuit and called the accusations “unfounded and inaccurate,” adding, “We are confident, however, that the truth will ultimately prevail.”²

How the Court Ruled

The case ran into procedural trouble first. In February 2024, the court struck the complaint as a “shotgun pleading,” finding it “replete with conclusory, vague, and immaterial facts” that failed to specify which defendants were responsible for which acts. The Weemses were directed to file an amended complaint.¹¹

On December 19, 2024, Chief U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. She applied the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which bars civil courts from adjudicating internal religious governance disputes. Deciding whether the church’s investigation was a “sham” or based on “legitimate concerns regarding his fitness for the pastoral ministry” would require the court to improperly inquire into “matters of church doctrine and polity,” she wrote.¹

The Weemses appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in January 2025, arguing that their claims are secular business disputes rather than religious conflicts.⁷ In September 2025, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed an amicus brief supporting ARC and urging the appellate court to affirm, citing First Amendment protections for religious organizations to manage internal discipline and leadership without judicial interference.¹² The appeal remains pending.

The Related State Court Cases

The federal case was not the first litigation to grow out of Weems’s ouster. In February 2022, the Weemses sued the church’s board of trustees in Florida state court seeking injunctive relief and reinstatement, arguing that the bylaws granted Weems “complete plenary authority” as senior pastor.⁴¹³¹⁴ A Florida appellate court affirmed the ruling without a written opinion in February 2025.⁷

A parallel state dispute over a church-owned home on Black Hammock Island in Jacksonville remains active. Celebration Church filed to evict the Weemses in June 2022, alleging the parsonage was purchased without proper board authorization. The Weemses maintain the home was part of their retirement and compensation package.⁷ In her October 2023 order, Judge Aho issued a split ruling: five claims tied to parsonage and compensation contracts survived under neutral secular law, along with the church’s eviction and back-rent claims, while six claims rooted in the internal power struggle were dismissed.¹⁰ Depositions were underway as of mid-2025.

Timberlake is not a party to the state cases either.

Where Things Stand Now

Tim and Jen Timberlake continue to serve as the senior pastors of Celebration Church, which remains headquartered in Jacksonville.¹⁵ The church has said it has “grown and thrived” under Timberlake’s leadership.²

For the Weemses, the legal picture has narrowed. The defamation case is over. The federal conspiracy case, the one that named Timberlake as an alleged agent, has been dismissed and is on appeal. The parsonage and eviction dispute is the only active proceeding. In March 2025, the attorneys representing the Weemses moved to withdraw, citing “irreconcilable differences” and non-compliance with the terms of representation.¹⁶ In January 2025, Stovall Weems launched a website called “Unspeakable Corruption” to publicly air his claims of wrongdoing within the church.⁷

1
Jacksonville.com. Judge Tosses Suit by Celebration Church Founders Stovall and Kerri Weems
2
News4Jax. Church Group Accused of Orchestrating Celebration Church Takeover Calls Accusations Unfounded and Inaccurate
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News4Jax. Celebration Church Pastors Deny Misuse of PPP Money
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The Christian Post. Celebration Church’s New Pastor Says He Isn’t Going Anywhere
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News4Jax. Celebration Church Pastor Reassures Congregation Amid Legal Dispute
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Christian Faith Center. Tim Timberlake
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MinistryWatch. Stovall and Kerri Weems: Litigations, Accusations, Dismissals, Appeals
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News4Jax. Celebration Church Releases Explosive Investigation Into Founding Pastor
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ChurchLeaders. Celebration Church Scathing Report on Stovall Weems
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News4Jax. Judge Rules in Cases Involving Celebration Church and Former Pastors
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vLex. Weems v. Association of Related Churches
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Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Weems v. Association of Related Churches
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Jacksonville.com. Defamation Suit vs. Celebration Church Dismissed by Jacksonville Judge
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First Coast News. Jacksonville Judge Dismisses Ex-Pastors’ Defamation Case Against Celebration Church
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Celebration Church. Celebration Church
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News4Jax. Attorneys for Embattled Celebration Church Founding Pastors Withdraw From Ongoing Legal Fight