John Kaempf is an Oregon civil defense trial lawyer who, for 33 years, has specialized in defending lawsuits against churches and religious schools in Oregon’s courts. He defends lawsuits against religious entities brought by students, church members, teachers, pastors, and other employees of religious institutions.  This includes lawsuits relating to student discipline at Christian schools, and alleged employment discrimination by Christian employers.  He has extensive expertise in First Amendment defenses to lawsuits against religious entities.

John is one of the most sought after civil defense trial lawyers in Oregon. For example, he won lawsuits filed in Oregon against Jesuit High School, the Foursquare Church, Mount Angel Abbey, the Multnomah Athletic Club, the Miss USA pageant, and Philip Morris.

In 2022, he won a historic First Amendment victory in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for his client, the Christian owner of the Miss USA Pageant, who was sued in Oregon federal district Court by a transgender contestant.  He claimed civil rights violations when he was not allowed to participate in the pageant because it is limited to “natural born females.” You can read a short article about the court’s ruling here.

For 33 years, he has also specialized in defending child sex abuse lawsuits against religious entities and individuals throughout Oregon and the Northwest.  He has successfully defended some of the largest and most high exposure child sex abuse cases in the country. This includes a recent case against a private school in Oregon involving over 70 plaintiffs who attended the school.

For 11 consecutive years, has been named one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in Civil Litigation Defense.  He has also been honored by “Oregon Super Lawyers” since 2006, every year the award has been given.  It is granted to only the top 5% of attorneys.

Since 2019, he was awarded the highest possible distinction in the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® rating. It is the peer-rated honor awarded to lawyers with the highest level of legal ability, integrity,  and distinguished professional excellence. It is the highest of three awards issued by Martindale-Hubbell®, and is largely dependent on an attorney’s peer reviews from judges and other attorneys.