Creationist legal dispute resolved

Ken Ham of AiG and Carl Wieland of CMIKen Ham of AiG and Carl Wieland of CMI

Answers in Genesis and Creation Ministries International have agreed to settle their legal dispute, issuing a joint statement reading, "Each ministry is now focused on its respective mission, having put this dispute behind them." As the Cincinnati Enquirer (April 27, 2009) reported, "The dispute arose more than four years ago as the American ministry, Answers in Genesis, grew more wealthy and influential than the original group in Australia, Creation Ministries International. The one-time allies waged court battles in both countries and accused one another of mishandling donors' money, using 'gutter tactics' to discredit their opponents and threatening the creationist movement with 'ruthless' business decisions."

The Australian (April 30, 2009) quipped, "Ken Ham [of AiG] and Carl Wieland [of CMI] believe the world was created in six days, so the four years it has taken Australia's most prominent creationists to conclude a civil case that began ... in 2005 must seem an eternity." Neither ministry was willing to comment to the press on the terms of the settlement, and CMI, which previously provided a host of documents relevant to the dispute on its website, is now providing only the text of the joint statement. For background on the dispute, see Jim Lippard's report for Reports of the NCSE, Lippard's updates on his blog, and Michael McKenna's report for The Australian (June 5, 2007).