Sealed pending appeal. That’s the status of the cause of death of Zachery Tims, the Orlando, Fla.-area megachurch pastor who died in a W Hotel room last August.
A New York State Appellate Court ruled on the case on Tuesday.
Tims’ autopsy and toxicology reports have been completed since October, but Madeline Tims, mother of the late pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, sued to keep the results from going public.
New York City attorney Ave Maria Brennan, who represents the Medical Examiner’s office, is confident that the Appellate Court will “ultimately uphold the previous decision” by Judge Cynthia S. Kern to reveal Tim’s cause of death, according to The Orlando Sentinel.
News reports indicate Tims, who died at the age of 42, had a plastic bag filled with white powder in his pocket, leading many to believe his death was associated with a drug overdose. By Tims’ own testimony, he was instantly delivered from drug addiction when he was saved as a teenager.
Oral arguments are scheduled for Sept. 4 in Madeline Tims’ move to keep her son’s death cause private. A ruling may not come down from the bench until early 2013, according to attorney Ricardo E. Oquendo, who is representing Madeline Tims in the suit.
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