With Pashinian’s encouragement, Saroyan refused to obey the decision and went on to challenge it in court. In an unprecedented injunction, a district court ruled on January 16 that Saroyan must be reinstated pending its verdict on the lawsuit. It also said the church must not try to stop him from performing his duties in any way. They argue that Armenian priests serve based on their vows to obey the church’s centuries-old canonical rules, rather than employment contracts. Saroyan’s defrocking led the Investigative Committee to launch a criminal investigation into noncompliance with a judicial act, a crime punishable by up to two years in prison.