Lawyer For Robert Morris Blamed 12y/o Victim For ‘Initiating’ Sexual Contact With Him
Cindy Clemishire on Christmas in 1982; Robert Morris and his wife and child while staying at Clemishire’s childhood home in 1984. Courtesy Cindy Clemishire
In 1982, pastor Robert Morris began molesting 12-year-old Cindy Clemishire, initiating sexual contact with her that would continue for the next four and a half years. In 2005, she contacted him about the abuse, which his wife, Debbie, was fully aware of. He instead sought to buy her silence, according to the phone call transcripts.
In 2007, Clemishire hired lawyer Gentner Drummond to help her seek restitution to cover the cost of counseling, beginning a series of exchanges with Morris’ lawyer, J Shelby Sharpe, about the incident. In letters obtained by NBC News, Drummond sent a draft of a lawsuit he planned to file, clearly stating, “Reverend Morris began sexually assaulting Ms. (Clemishire), who was then twelve years old.”
This prompted Sharpe to retort:
“It was your client who initiated inappropriate behavior by coming into my client’s bedroom and getting in bed with him, which my client should not have allowed to happen.”
Along with claiming the child initiated the sexual contact, Sharpe also claimed that Clemishire “acted inappropriately with two other men who stayed in her home between 1982 and 1987,” when she would have been 12-17 years old.
Sharpe’s move of placing the blame on her is a similar tactic that Morris employed in his initial bid to keep her silent- convince her she was the one at fault. It wasn’t the first time it happened. In 1987, when Morris was first discovered molesting and raping Clemishire, his wife Debbie allegedly called Clemishire and told her, “I forgive you,” which made her feel that she had corrupted him in some way and she was to blame.
Ultimately, the talks between Sharpe and Drummond broke down because Clemishire refused to sign an NDA.
When contacted by NBC, Sharpe, who no longer represents Morris, denied knowing that Clemishire was 12 years old, despite the letter and draft sent to him clearly saying so. NBC reports:
“I don’t ever remember seeing that,” Sharpe said after a reporter read the document to him. After a reporter offered to share a copy of the messages, Sharpe said he did not have time to read them and declined to share an email address.
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Atty. Shelby Sharpe will be divinely punished for this one. What a sleeze. Even if by some wild stretch of the imagination, the girl came to him, he’s the adult and refuses. Period. Confused or previously abused children might try that tact since they’ve been conditioned into it for survival. Not the case here. Besides, it happened over four years, hardly a one-off event, and what about him driving off with her at 16yo stating,” You’re old enough for intercourse now.” Try to reframe that into victim blaming.
It’s like the person who is adulterous to their marriage and claims, “You can’t help who you fall in love with.” Yes you can by having boundaries and standards and adhering to them. If the wild claim she “seduced” him were true, then what about the adultery on his wife… wasn’t that supposed to be a deterrent? Again we have double standards for someone in the untouchable profession of clergy versus teacher, coach, or Scout leader.
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Worst. Defense. Ever.