The Nation - News from Nov. 6, 1987

A judge in Worcester, Mass., rejected an heiress’ bid for the property of a fundamentalist church that the woman had forced into bankruptcy through a lawsuit. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James F. Queenan Jr. ruled that at least four other people had promised bids exceeding Elizabeth Dayton Dovydenas’ $1.8-million offer for the 69 acres and 26 buildings in Lenox owned by The Bible Speaks. The judge said the other prospective buyers apparently did not have enough time to work out zoning problems before Tuesday’s auction of the church campus. He made no finding on a fair market value. Dovydenas, 34, sued the church for donations she made under the allegedly deceitful and domineering influence of its leaders. Queenan ruled in her favor in a trial last spring.