Alleged child sex abuse victim of Gateway Church founder Robert Morris sues him for defamation
An Oklahoma woman who accused megachurch pastor Robert Morris of sexually assaulting her as a young girl is now seeking at least $1 million from the disgraced televangelist for, among other things, slander, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress over his public actions in the years since.
In a 39-page lawsuit filed Thursday, Cindy Clemishire, who is now 55 and working as a real estate broker, says the 63-year-old Morris, his wife Deborah, their sons and numerous church elders all conspired to cover up the 'heinous' abuse she suffered at his hands.
Gateway Church, which Morris founded 25 years ago in the affluent Dallas, Texas suburb of Southlake, quickly became one of the biggest congregations in the country, drawing 100,000 or more worshipers to its weekend services.
'Defendants have made millions of dollars from Gateway Church, writing and publishing books, speaking engagements, TV shows, radio shows, [and] The King's University… while preaching about sexual immorality and redemption all while concealing the true facts of Defendant Robert Morris's sexual abuse and rape of Plaintiff, whose abuse began while she was just 12 years old,' Clemishire's complaint contends.
Morris, his family and Gateway Church leadership later downplayed his alleged crimes as 'nothing more than an 'inappropriate relationship,' an 'indiscretion,' 'his transgressions,' 'his moral failures' and an 'extramarital relationship,' deceiving thousands of church parishioners and the public with a false narrative that the sexual acts performed on the plaintiff as a minor child were consensual, or even worse, solicited,' Clemishire's attorneys said in a statement released after filing the suit in Dallas County District Court on behalf of her and her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire.
'Instead,' the statement goes on, 'the lawsuit makes clear that the actions 'amounted to criminal sexual contact with a child, rape and continuous sexual abuse of a child,' for which the survivor is entitled to just compensation for damages.'
In an email on Thursday, church spokeswoman Bonnie Curry told The Independent, "No comment to add from Gateway.'
Morris, a former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, first assaulted Clemishire on December 25, 1982, when he 'demanded' that Clemishire 'get into bed with him,' according to the complaint. At the time, the 22-year-old Morris was on the road as a traveling preacher, and had become friendly with Clemishire's family.
The molestation continued for another five years, with Morris insisting to Clemishire that she 'can't ever tell anyone what just happened or it will ruin everything,' the complaint states. However, in 1987, it says Clemishire confided to a friend about Morris' 'wrongful and egregious actions.'
Clemishire, who was then 17, then got a call from Deborah Morris, who said she 'forgave' Clemishire for what had happened, according to the complaint. This, the filing argues, 'allud[ed] that it was [Clemishire's] fault that [Morris'] husband had sexually assaulted and raped [her].'
Morris would acknowledge in a 2014 sermon that he had been "sexually immoral" during his younger days, and a decade later told The Christian Post that when he was in his early 20s, he 'was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying.'
'It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong,' Morris told the publication. 'This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years.'
Over the past year, Morris has continued to defame Clemishire by claiming that 'his sexual battery, assault, and rape of [her] was an 'extramarital affair,'' implying that the pre-teen had 'initiated, sought and desired a sexual relationship' with him, her complaint maintains.
'Defendant Morris and/or other Defendants spread horrendous and damaging lies that it was Plaintiff that initiated and perpetuated these illegal acts,' the complaint states. 'Further, Defendants asserted that Plaintiffs forgave Defendant Morris, which was a lie.'
In June 2024, Morris stepped down from his position at Gateway Church. His son, along with several other members of the church's board of elders, were placed on temporary leaves of absence while an outside team of investigators probed the allegations against Morris. In March 2025, an Oklahoma grand jury indicted Morris on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, based on Clemishire's claims.
'After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,' Clemishire said in a statement after the indictment was announced. '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.'
Last month, Morris filed his own lawsuit against Gateway, arguing that while his behavior may have been 'inappropriate,' the church still owes him millions of dollars in severance, deferred compensation and retirement benefits. But, while church lawyers said Morris 'was laser-focused on securing his financial future,' the accusations against him amounted to a breach of contract, liberating Gateway from any previously agreed upon obligations.
For her part, Clemishire is seeking actual, presumed and exemplary damages to be determined by a jury.
'We filed this lawsuit on behalf of Ms. Clemishire because, while criminal charges continue to progress, Morris and those who conspired with him deserve to be held civilly accountable for their actions as well,' attorney S. Alex Yaffe, one of the lawyers representing Clemishire, said on Thursday. 'The lawsuit and the crimes alleged speak for themselves and we look forward to seeing justice served for the Plaintiffs in this case.'
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