FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Their appeals may not be over yet, but the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend have created a bank account should they have to pay fired language arts teacher Emily Herx.

But, while a district judge denied the diocese's request to not pay until the case is over, they also denied Herx's request to have the diocese pay her right away as well. 

The Journal-Gazette says the diocese set up a bank account at a local bank this week and put about $444,000 in it. A jury award of $1.9 million last December to Herx over her dismissal after defying the church in getting in vitro fertilization treatments that she says was gender discrimination. That award was knocked down to a little over $400,000 this year, but the church is still appealing. 

In vitro fertilization is condemned by the Roman Catholic Church as an intrinsic evil. Herx claims that the church treated her unfairly while treating male teachers in similar situations differently.