A Texas judge has rebuked the Assemblies of God for repeatedly failing to hand over documents in a lawsuit connected to convicted sex offender and former missionary, Daniel Savala.
District Court Judge Lauren Reeder said the denomination’s national office had been “flagrant” in ignoring her discovery orders and warned the church could face civil or even criminal contempt charges if it continued to withhold records.
She also ordered the Assemblies of God to pay some legal fees to two men who allege they were abused by Savala.
“You don’t get to just decide when to start engaging in the discovery process,” Reeder told church lawyers, according to a court transcript seen by NBC News.
Savala, once celebrated within the Assemblies of God’s Chi Alpha college ministry, is accused by at least ten men and boys of sexual abuse spanning decades.
Despite warnings, pastors continued to send young people to his Houston home, where alleged abuses took place.
Lawyer Anjali Nigam, representing two former students, said: “They say to the public they’re letting the facts shine. In the lawsuit, what they are doing is keeping it in the dark by not producing documents and information the court has ordered them to produce.”
The Assemblies of God has said it “took appropriate actions” once it received reports of Savala’s conduct. A further hearing on sanctions is scheduled for later this month.