A new lawsuit filed in California this week accuses Harvest Christian Fellowship Church and its leaders of negligence after two men said they were repeatedly raped as children in Romanian orphanages.
In the lawsuit, Marian Barbu, 33, and Mihai-Constantin Petcu, 40, allege that the church's leaders should have been aware of the situation and taken action to prevent it. The lawsuit names former leaders Paul Havsgaard and Richard Schutte, as well as founder and senior pastor Greg Laurie.
According to Christian Today, the men are seeking damages from Harvest Christian Fellowship, which reportedly supported the Romanian ministries, along with Havsgaard, Laurie, and Schutte. The plaintiffs allege that Havsgaard severely abused them and dozens of other children at the shelter for nearly a decade.
As the Associated Press reported, the plaintiffs said Havsgaard lured struggling children from the streets with fast food and promises of shelter and education.
"[The men] are hurt, angry, and still suffering from PTSD and social difficulties," Jet McAllister, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Harvest Christian Fellowship said that while the lawsuit is shocking, Havsgaard should be the target, not the church.
“This misplaced lawsuit wrongly targets Harvest Riverside and our pastor as a form of financial extortion,” a spokesperson told the publication. “It does not seek the truth, nor does it seek to stop the purported wrongdoer.”
The plaintiffs claim that Laurie and other senior church leaders should have supervised Havsgaard because there were repeated red flags and reports from donors, visitors, and others who suspected sexual abuse and witnessed poor living conditions at the shelter.
McAllister said he plans to file more lawsuits involving at least 20 others who allege they were abused at the shelter.