The State - News from July 19, 1987

The Rajneesh church in Oregon must comply with an Internal Revenue Service summons to produce financial records for investigation of the group’s tax-exempt status, a federal appeals court ruled in San Francisco. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court decision in Portland that the court had no authority to quash the IRS summons commanding the Rajneesh Friends International Corp. to supply documents sought by the IRS, which is investigating claims that the corporation may no longer be entitled to its tax-exempt status as a religious group. Rajneesh attorney Robert McCrea said the group may appeal the decision. McCrea contended the IRS summons was an effort to harass the church.