Judge tells Gateway Church officials and former pastor Robert Morris to reach an agreement on arbitration, return in a month
Millions of dollars allegedly promised to the founder and former pastor of Gateway Church was discussed in a Tarrant County courtroom on Thursday.
Robert Morris appeared in civil court, along with attorneys from the church, to discuss the lawsuit over Morris' retirement package.
Morris, 63, is demanding millions of dollars in payments and retirement benefits from the church following his resignation last year. Morris stepped down after allegations resurfaced that he sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.
The two sides disagree how the lawsuit should be handled, Morris requesting arbitration behind closed doors while the church wants the matter handled in an open forum courtroom.
The judge told both sides to come to an agreement and return to court in about 30 days.
Robert Morris allegedly promised millions for the rest of his life
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."
On Sept. 25, 2024, just over three months following Morris's resignation, his attorney sent a letter to church lawyers with various demands, including more than $1 million that had accrued in Morris's retirement account.
The letter also claimed that church elders had verbally promised Morris a retirement benefit of $800,000 per year until he turns 70, and $600,000 per year for as long as he or his wife are living.
However, according to a retirement compensation agreement included in the court filing, the church would pay Morris $170,000 per year for 20 years following his retirement.
The agreement also included a provision that the retirement benefit is not payable if Morris is fired or resigns for failing to adhere to church policies and causing harm to the church. The church argued that if Morris is convicted of the criminal charges he faces in Oklahoma, it would have grounds to withhold the money.
Morris claims that in the meeting at Gateway last June when he was forced to resign, he specifically asked and was "assured... he would receive his retirement benefits" but that the church "may need to 'get creative' with how he was going to be paid" and that Morris "would not have agreed to the termination" otherwise.
In an earlier letter, Morris's attorney warned that if the church doesn't cooperate, "Pastor Robert will be forced to make clear that he was transparent with the board" about his sexual encounters with an underage girl."