Four former Gateway Church elders are denying allegations that they helped conceal sexual abuse claims or defamed the woman who has accused Pastor Robert Morris of abusing her as a child.
According to KERA News, Steve Dulin, Jeremy Carrasco, Gayland Lawshe and Thomas Miller have filed motions to be removed from the lawsuit, which accuses them of slandering the alleged victim, Cindy Clemishire.
Clemishire and her father filed the suit in June, alleging that the elders, along with Morris and his wife, hid the abuse.
In their suit, Clemishire and her father claim that Morris characterised the alleged assault as consensual, saying Clemishire had seduced him. She was a teenager at the time.
Dulin has filed a general denial. In court documents, he argued that the alleged defamatory claims were substantially true and represented his opinion. He also stated that Clemishire’s claims did not demonstrate that he acted with actual malice. His lawyers further argued that her suit was brought after the one-year statute of limitations on defamation claims and the two-year statute of limitations on intentional infliction of emotional distress claims.
“The statements at issue reflect Defendant Dulin’s acknowledgement of new information and his regret for not having all the facts earlier,” the court documents read. “There is no evidence to suggest that Defendant Dulin acted with actual malice in making any of the alleged statements, as Defendant Dulin did not know that any statements were false or act with reckless disregard as to their truth or falsity.”
Carrasco and Miller also deny wrongdoing. Carrasco argued that if Clemishire’s reputation had been damaged, it was due to “the acts of third parties” over whom he had no control. Like Dulin, Miller said any statements he had made in the past were likewise “made without actual malice.”
Lawshe also filed a general denial but did not provide further details in the court documents.
Morris stepped down in 2024 following allegations that he had sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s. The claims were first reported by The Wartburg Watch, a blog that investigates abuse and other issues within churches.
In November, Gateway Church dismissed staff who it said had been aware of the alleged abuse, KERA News reported. The megachurch did not publicly name those involved, but Carrasco, Lawshe, Miller and Kevin Grove were removed from the church’s website.