Former megachurch pastor Robert Morris admitted to church elders that he was aware his accuser, Cindy Clemishire, was a minor at the time the alleged abuse began, according to newly released court filings.
Morris has pleaded not guilty to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child after charges were brought against him in Oklahoma.
The new filings include a previously unreleased statement Morris reportedly intended to read to members of Gateway Church in 2011:
“In my early 20s, I was traveling and speaking in churches and staying in the home of a church member. Their daughter came and got into bed with me, and there was kissing and petting. I’ve been told that it was about two weeks before her 13th birthday. Although I knew she was underage, I was shocked to hear this because she appeared much older. My behavior was completely inexcusable, and I am 100% at fault.”
According to the court documents, Morris was advised by Gateway Church leadership not to deliver the statement due to concerns over privacy laws and the potential for publicly embarrassing Clemishire.
Bill Mateja, Morris’s attorney, told The Dallas Morning News that the decision not to share the statement publicly was part of a "deliberative process".
“People might second-guess Gateway leadership’s conscious decision not to disclose Morris’ relationship with the victim,” Mateja said. “But it was a deliberative process that included verifying Morris’ story, consulting with lawyers, and taking into account the family's request for privacy.”
Mateja also criticised the church's current leadership, saying Morris “is certainly deserving of the victim’s punches” but is “tired of being the punching bag of Gateway’s current leadership as it tries to play its game of blame-shifting".
Cindy Clemishire alleges that Morris began sexually abusing her in 1982 when she was 12 years old and that it continued for more than four years.
Last month, Gateway Church formally denied Morris’s claim for millions of dollars in retirement benefits. In doing so, the church criticised what it described as a “defiantly unapologetic posture” by the former pastor.
Morris' next court hearing is scheduled for 4th September.
