Alleged child sexual abuse victim Cindy Clemishire, father file suit against Robert Morris, his wife and Gateway Church
Cindy Clemishire, the woman at the center of the child sex abuse case involving Gateway Church founder Robert Morris, and her father have filed a lawsuit against the church founder, his wife and several current and former church leaders.
The suit alleges the defendants knew about Robert Morris' deceit, hid it and made millions of dollars from his "moral failures and rape of Plaintiff, Cindy Clemishire."
The lawsuit names Gateway Church, Robert Morris, Robert Morris' wife Deborah Morris, Thomas H. Miller, Jr., John D. Willbanks III, Kevin Grove, Jeremy Carrasco, Kenneth W. Fambro II, Gayland Lawshe, Dane Minor, Lawrence Swicegood, Steve Dulin and the Robert Morris Evangelistic Association Inc.
"For almost 40 years, Robert Morris and the leadership at Gateway have tried to blame me and put this in a flippant light of a relationship instead of what it was-a brutal crime against a 12-year-old child," said Cindy Clemishire. "My childhood and the woman I would have become died that day in 1982. The person who abused me and the people who blatantly covered it up deserve to be held accountable. My hope is that bringing awareness to my case will help other victims and survivors feel hope, because the person who did this to me-and the people who enabled him and covered it up for decades-are being held accountable."
Miller, Willbanks, Grove, Carrasco, Fambro, Lawshe, Minor and Dulin are identified as Gateway Church elders and Swicegood as the former Executive Director of Media and Communications for Gateway. Deborah Morris, Robert Morris' wife, is listed a former leader of the women's ministry at Gateway.
The scandal surrounding Gateway Church's Robert Morris
The public controversy for the megachurch began in June, when Cindy Clemishire publicly claimed the church's founder, Robert Morris, sexually assaulted her starting in 1982 when she was 12 years old. Robert Morris was a traveling evangelist in his early 20s and had become close with her family.
Those allegations were first published by , a North Carolina-based church watchdog blog, and then picked up by . Cindy Clemishire told CBS News Texas the alleged abuse continued until 1987.
Robert Morris acknowledged in a sermon in 2014 that he was "sexually immoral" when he was a young man and admitted to "inappropriate sexual behavior" In a statement to the Christian Post.
"When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying," he said. "It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years."
Church elders said Robert Morris disclosed to them he'd had an extramarital affair, but not that he had allegedly abused a 12-year-old.
On June 18, Robert Morris resigned from his position as senior pastor at Gateway Church.
Cindy Clemishire said she has mixed thoughts and feelings regarding his resignation and believes she is not the only victim.
"Though I am grateful that he is no longer a pastor at Gateway, I am disappointed that the Board of Elders allowed him to resign," Cindy Clemishire wrote in a statement. "He should have been terminated."
She rebuked church elders for knowing and acknowledging her claims of sexual abuse but intentionally embracing "the false narrative Robert Morris wanted them to believe."
On June 23, protesters gathered outside the church as a church elder addressed the congregation for the first time after Cindy Clemishire's statements.
"As an elder, I did not know the truth and, frankly, like many of you my wife and I are shocked, devastated and grieving," said Tra Willbanks, a Gateway Church elder. "I'd like to express my personal compassion for Cindy Clemishire, I can't imagine carrying a burden like that for so many years and I want to say to you, Cindy, I'm so sorry."
Four members of the Gateway Church Board of Elders, including Robert Morris' son, were put on temporary leaves of absence as an outside legal team investigated the accusations against Robert Morris, the church said on June 28.
Founded in 2000, the Southlake-based Gateway Church expanded to become one of the largest congregations in the nation, drawing approximately 100,000 attendees each weekend to its nine campuses. Robert Morris broadcast his weekly program live online to over 190 countries, reaching even wider audiences.
Robert Morris indicted on 5 counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child in Oklahoma
In March, Robert Morris was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, stemming from Cindy Clemishire's allegations.
The indictment was announced by the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. A multi-county grand jury investigation resulted in five felony counts.
"After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child," Cindy Clemishire said in a statement. "Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable. My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible and remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail."
According to Drummond's office, the statute of limitations does not apply to this case because Morris was not a resident or inhabitant of Oklahoma at any time.
A week later, Robert Morris surrendered to officials in Osage County. Online records showed he bonded out shortly after he turned himself in. Court records showed an Osage County judge set a $50,000 bond and ordered Robert Morris to surrender his passport to the local sheriff.
Mack Martin, Robert Morris' attorney, declined to comment on the charges, but said he anticipated entering a not guilty plea on Robert Morris' behalf.
Court documents reveal what Gateway Church may have known before abuse allegations
CBS News Texas obtained court documents, filed in Tarrant County, related to a lawsuit against the church over retirement payments.
They include a proposed announcement that he was going to make to the congregation, but it was never made public.
According to Robert Morris' attorney, the proposed announcement was written by Morris in 2011. In it, Robert Morris admits to "inappropriate behavior" with an underage girl, but did not name Cindy Clemishire.
That 2011 announcement was never made public because, in a letter in 2007 to the board of elders, the president suggested Robert Morris "should not mention the family or Cindy specifically by name as this would violate their privacy."
Gateway Church released a statement that read, in part:
"We have consistently and publicly said that there were elders and employees at Gateway who knew about this issue before it became public - and either didn't take action or didn't inquire further. That was fundamentally wrong - the church elders took action, and none of those individuals are a part of Gateway Church today."
Robert Morris' million-dollar demand
In May, 63-year-old Robert Morris demanded millions of dollars in payments and retirement benefits from the church following his resignation in 2024.
Church lawyers wrote in the court filing that "amid the chaos of his conduct had unleashed upon Gateway and his community, Morris was laser-focused on securing his financial future."
According to a retirement compensation agreement included in the court filing, the retirement benefit is not payable if Robert Morris is fired or resigns for failing to adhere to church policies and causing harm to the church. The church argued that if its founder is convicted of the criminal charges he faces in Oklahoma, it would have grounds to withhold the money.
Damages
The lawsuit states that Cindy Clemishire and her father have also suffered damages to their reputation and image, which could continue into the future.
In a news release, attorneys for the Clemishires said they are seeking civil damages in excess of $1 million, including but not limited to loss of reputation, mental anguish, and economic losses, in an amount to be determined at trial. A jury trial has been requested.
CBS News Texas reached out to Gateway Church, which said it had no comment at this time.
