A Dallas judge is expected to rule this week whether or not Cindy Clemishire’s million-dollar defamation lawsuit against convicted pedophile Robert Morris and his former church, Gateway, will proceed.
Clemishire launched the civil suit against Morris, his wife, and nearly a dozen Gateway Church elders, alleging they made false statements to cover up Morris’ sexual abuse. In early October, Morris pled guilty to five counts of lewd and indecent conduct and received 10 years in prison, with 9 and a half years suspended, so that he will only have to serve six months. According to CBS News:
“Attorneys for the church and a group of current elders argued they were exempt from the suit under a doctrine called ecclesiastical abstention, which prevents courts from interfering in the operations and governance of a church.
The lawyer representing Clemishire argued that the actions involved were purely secular in nature and did not fall under the exemption.”
On Monday, Morris and his wife joined a motion by the church and the other defendants that the case be dropped on account that the statute of limitations expired and she didn’t demand a retraction in time.
“Plaintiffs failed to make a timely and sufficient request for correction or retraction from the Morrises. Therefore, plaintiffs are not entitled to maintain an action for defamation.”
