A Dallas judge has ruled that 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’s sexual abuse. In early October, Morris pled guilty to five counts of lewd and indecent conduct and received a six-month prison sentence.
Attorneys for the church and a group of current elders argued that any lawsuit should fall under the doctrine of ecclesiastical abstention, which prevents courts from interfering in church governance and operations.
Judge Emily Tobolowsky disagreed, however, ruling that the defamation suit can proceed. She also denied the motion by four Gateway Church elders named as co-defendants to dismiss the suit.
Along with this lawsuit, Gateway is being sued for millions of dollars by people who have claimed their tithes were misappropriated and is battling a lawsuit from Morris over millions of dollars in unpaid severance as part of his retirement package.
