As Gateway Church, America’s once-largest megachurch, struggles to move past the abuse scandal surrounding disgraced Robert Morris, Cindy Clemishire, the victim whom Morris abused beginning when she was 12, has filed a defamation lawsuit in Dallas County, Texas.
The lawsuit filing details the history of the case, citing the incidents that occurred with Morris against Clemishire and the rise of Morris in televangelism. The filing then claims that the church was informed of the extent of Morris’s actions, citing that they were emailed by “truthrevealed@hush.com” on December 22 and 27, 2011. The lawsuit cites further information pertaining to the elder’s knowledge of the precise details as grounds for defamation, including knowledge that she was 12 at the time.
While the lawsuit rehashes much of the scandal surrounding Robert Morris, Texas’s statute on defamation has a statute of limitations of one year. Exceptions to this would include if the defendant was underage at the time of the defamation, which would not be applicable here. Thus, the lawsuit is dependent on statements issued by either Morris or Gateway Church in response to the scandal becoming known and the subsequent fallout. While the filing cites Morris’s historic misrepresentation of his abuse, it is not material to the legal requirements for defamation.
Within the past year, one recent evidence cited as an affidavit signed by Robert Morris in which he admits to using legal representation to respond to the anonymous emails, though there is nothing innately defamatory against Clemishire contained in the affidavit. The mention of J Shelby Shape is important since he was the one who claimed that a 12 year old girl tried to seduce Robert Morris.
Another defamatory claim is that of Gateway Church’s public response to the scandal:
On or about June 18, 2024, Elders for Defendant, Gateway Church, with the assistance of Defendant, Lawrence Swicegood, issued more false statements saying that “Pastor Robert did a phenomenal job of being open and transparent about his transgressions and his past, his moral failures. . . What we did not know was that she was 12 years old. . . Since the resolution of this 35-year-old matter, there have been no other moral failures.”
The lawsuit goes on to say the following:
On or about July 27 or July 28, 2024, Elders for Defendant Gateway Church admitted to issuing defamatory statements against Plaintiff in the following speech to Gateway Church’s congregation: “We are sorry for our initial communication which was clearly incorrect. You were a child, not a young lady. Additionally, two weeks ago, Gateway released a statement saying this was ‘an inappropriate relationship.’ This statement is not correct either. To be clear, we believe this was sexual abuse of a child… I’m sorry that we got that communication wrong.”
One of the important elements in Texas law is that the plaintiff must ask the defendant for a correction, clarification, or retraction. Gateway Church will likely argue that they have made corrections as information became known. While they are attempting to spin this as an admission of defamation, it is a corrected statement that is contained in Clemishire’s filing, which would support the defendant’s counterclaim that they offered correction under Texas law.
The lawsuit comes just before the anniversary of the allegedly defamatory statements.
Analysis
Since the elders were not in the room, they could not have known whether Morris’s depiction of the events was accurate, but the lawsuit is relying upon the church parroting what Morris stated as his own words as grounds for defamation. Furthermore, Morris has made claims of his inappropriate sexual relationship for years prior his resignation. Texas law does not reset the clock on defamation for a republication of a defamatory statement, so since Morris has made claims for years, this might impede defamation law from being applicable. An example of this would be Morris’s contention that the family forgave him, which is disputed by Clemishire in the filing. Morris has made this claim for years, including in his book, potentially placing it outside the statute of limitations. The law might allow for an exception if the claim was repackaged for a new audience or the contents were altered in a significant way.
The basis of the case is what they knew at the time they made such statements, and particularly that they knew it began when she was 12 and that the abuse was more than “kissing and petting,” which is an important “he-said-she-said” fact of the case.
Gateway Church seeks to move on with Daniel Floyd to close the book on Morris and begin a new chapter, but the Morris scandal continues to plague them. A settlement between Gateway Church and Cindy Clemishire is the most likely outcome to this lawsuit, as the further reputational damage to Gateway Church supersedes the merits of whether their public statements are defamatory under Texas law.
Powered by RedCircle
One Response
Ah, Robert Morris, the hero of the “Christian” zionist jew-worshipping heretics.
Now exposed as a rapist and pedophile, just like the other “Christian” zionist hero Mike Bickle.
I remember a while ago a “Christian” zionist lying dirtbag had the nerve to lecture me that I will “go to hell” for criticizing the jews. The manipulative dirtbag sent me a link to a Mike Bickle video, saying “Mike Bickle will explain to you why Christians have to support the jews.”
LMAO. ROFL.
Sorry, “Christian” zionists, I don’t take religious advice from pedophiles such as Mike Bickle.
It turns out the Mike Bickle, just like Robert Morris (and probably all of the other “Christian” zionist heroes) are rapists and pedophiles.
Of course, that doesn’t bother the so-called “Christian” zionists, since these “judeo-christians” are evil wicked monsters, just like the demonic jews they worship.
The traitorous “judeo-christians”, who support and assist the evil jews in destroying the West in the expectation of receiving “blessings” from their demented, evil, malevolent, twisted jewish supremacist version of “god”, are the equivalent of parents who let Jeffrey Epstein rape their kids, in the expectation of receiving money and a ride on Epstein’s private jet.
The evil “judeo-christians” are masters of lies, gaslighting, and manipulation.
Note how before their lies were exposed, the evil “Gateway church” used manipulative and dishonest language to downplay Robert Morris’ heinous crimes.
A 12 year-old child was described as “a young lady” by the Gateway elders.
Rape was described as “he said, she said” by the Gateway elders.
A lot like how the zionist terror state calls its genocide of the Palestinians “self-defense”, with the evil jew-worshipping “judeo-christians” cheering the genocide on.
Gateway “church”, and all of the other “judeo-christian” zionist “churches”, should be declared traitorous criminal organizations and disbanded, and the pastors and attendees should be arrested for treason.
The “judeo-christians” are masters of lying, gaslighting, and manipulation, just like the evil jews they worship.
Since they worship the evil jews, it’s no surprise that the “judeo-christians” behave like the evil jews.
I wonder: did the “judeo-christians” become evil because they chose to side with the evil jews? Or were the “judeo-christians” already evil, and chose to side with the evil jews because like attracts like?
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
To sum up: the leading “judeo-christians” are pedophiles and rapists, and their idiot heretical jew-worshipping followers are malignant narcissists and probably pedophiles and rapists too.