Mealey's (March 3, 2017, 12:44 PM EST) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — The church plan exemption in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act unambiguously requires that a church plan be established by a church, the appellee-respondents in three cases consolidated before the U.S. Supreme Court say in their initial brief filed Feb. 16, a view shared by five amicus briefs filed in support of the respondents (Advocate Health Care Network, et al. v. Maria Stapleton, et al., No. 16-74, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, et al. v. Laurence Kaplan, No. 16-86, Dignity Health, et al. v. Starla Rollins, No. 16-258, U.S. Sup., 2017 U.S. S. Ct. Briefs LEXIS 515)....