Robert Morris demands millions of dollars from Gateway Church amid sex abuse case
A legal battle between Gateway Church and Robert Morris, its founder and former pastor, spilled into the public this week.
Court documents filed Tuesday evening revealed that 63-year-old Morris is demanding millions of dollars in payments and retirement benefits from the church following his resignation in 2024. Morris stepped away from the church after allegations resurfaced that he sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.
At its core, Tuesday's filing revolved around whether the two sides should go through mediation to resolve their dispute before going into arbitration. But it also revealed months of back-and-forth between lawyers on both sides, and details of Morris's employment agreement with the church.
Robert Morris' million-dollar demand
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 warns 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."
The letter identifies the "girl" as Cindy Clemishire, whose accusations that Morris abused her beginning at the age of 12 have led to criminal charges against him in Oklahoma.
Sexual abuse accusations against Robert Morris
In March, Oklahoma prosecutors charged Morris with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child stemming from the allegations made by the victim, Cindy Clemishire. Morris has pleaded not guilty.
Morris made an initial appearance in an Osage County, Oklahoma courtroom last week. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September.
Clemishire's claims of sexual abuse resurfaced last June, when Clemishire told a church watchdog blog that Morris abused her from when she was 12 until she was 17. Morris was a traveling Evangelist in his 20s and had become close with her family.
When the story came out, church elders said Morris disclosed to them he'd had an extramarital affair, but not that he had allegedly abused a 12-year-old. Morris and the church had also claimed he underwent "a two-year restoration process" that included him "stepping out of the ministry during that period."
The September letter Morris's attorneys sent to the church alleges that Gateway elders had known the facts of the allegations as far back as 2005 and knew the victim's age in 2011. The letter also claims that a recording exists of Morris from early 2024 when he "recounted the details of his encounters with Ms. Clemishire – including her age – to multiple Gateway employees, including at least one elder."
Gateway Church responds
In response to a request for comment, Gateway Church sent the following statement to CBS News Texas:
"Shortly after the troubling revelations about his past conduct came to light last year, Robert Morris reached out to Gateway Church with a series of substantial financial demands. Gateway Church has chosen not to meet those demands. In response, Robert Morris has filed a lawsuit in arbitration seeking financial compensation. His claims are false and do not reflect accountability for the impact of his actions on the community. We are filing our own response to this lawsuit, affirming our commitment to addressing these issues thoughtfully and thoroughly. We recognize the pain that has been felt by so many, and we are dedicated to maintaining the trust of our church family as we navigate this situation."
The church also denies Morris' claims, calling on him to "stop falsely claiming that all Gateway elders were aware of the abuse."
Court records show that Morris is also seeking access to social media accounts associated with him as well as rights to website domains like "pastorrobert.com" and publication rights to his books and recorded sermons.
The church he once led has so far denied all his requests.
Attorneys for Morris declined to comment.
