the decision of the trial court, the appeals court dismissed the case from the courts entirely, which meant that the controversy stood as though no case had ever been brought. In the result, the Hedrickites remained in possession of the Temple Lot by default. The RLDS Church requested a second hearing by the Court of Appeals en banc but the motion was dismissed. The RLDS Church then sought to appeal the decision to the United States Supreme Court, but that court denied certiorari, which brought the case to a close. Reactions Leaders of the RLDS Church widely interpreted the result of the case as a technical vindication of the church's claim as being the rightful successor to the original Latter Day Saint church. Joseph Smith III and his successor, Israel A. Smith, both argued that the RLDS Church had been denied title to the Temple Lot merely because of the doctrine of laches, and that the courts had confirmed that otherwise their title was superior. The Temple Lot church has consistently maintained that the case stands as the final validation of their right to possess the Temple Lot. The LDS Church, although it assisted the Hedrickites in the case, has not taken an official position on the outcome of the case. Impact The case became an important source for documents related to Mormon plural marriage. To counteract RLDS claims to be the true successors to Joseph Smith Jr., the LDS Church assisted by having women give court testimony about their polygamist relationships with him. See also Kirtland Temple Suit Notes References The Temple Lot Case [trial and appeal transcripts] (Lamoni, Iowa: Herald Publishing House, 1893) Bert C. Flint, An Outline History of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) (Independence, Mo.: Church of Christ, Temple Lot, 1979) External links "Decision of John F. Philips, judge, in Temple Lot case : the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints versus the Church of Christ, et al (1894)" Full text of Complainant's abstract of pleading and evidence in The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, complainant, vs. the Church of Christ at Independence, Missouri Published in 1893 by the RLDS Herald Publishing House, 507 pages of information about the "Temple Lot Suit" 1894 in United States case law 1895 in United States case law Community of Christ History of the Latter Day Saint movement Independence, Missouri Latter Day