Representatives for the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will appear in Manhattan Supreme Court on Nov. 23 to challenge an injunction filed by the mother of Zachery Tims to prevent disclosure of the Florida pastor’s cause of death.
The medical examiner’s office was set on Friday to release information on the cause of death of the Apopka, Fla., pastor, who was found unresponsive in a Times Square hotel on Aug. 12, when legal action prevented them from doing so.
According to Central Florida 13 News, a spokesperson with the New York City Law Department provided official documentation showing that a state justice has ordered the findings of the 42-year-old Tims death to not be released until a hearing next month.
“The Medical Examiner’s Office does not release autopsy reports to the public. Rather, it discloses the cause and manner of death upon public inquiry. The City feels it’s important to make this information available to the public. The Law Department will defend this challenge to the Medical Examiner’s ability to do so,” said Ave Maria Brennan of the New York City Law Department.
In order to keep this information from the public, Tims’ family will have to prove to the justice that there is compelling reason to withhold its disclosure. Though Tims’ New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC) has announced its resolve to move ahead with its ministry, there is, nevertheless, still a great deal of interest engendered by this case. Speculation has been rife concerning the cause of his death, especially since the pastor’s autopsy was proven inconclusive. For many, the result of November’s hearing might finally resolve this issue.
If the toxicology results are kept confidential and Tims’ family keeps his cause of death from being disclosed, it is likely that allegations of a possible drug overdose will forever haunt the Florida minister.
Tims is survived by his four children whom he shared with ex-wife and pastor, Riva Tims, who has been receiving calls from NDCC members to return to the church and take over for the inspirational pastor.
