A former Texas megachurch pastor, Robert Morris, is facing a $1 million lawsuit from a woman who claims he sexually assaulted and abused her when she was 12 years old. The suit, filed this week in Dallas County District Court, accuses Morris and others of libel, malice, defamation, slander, failure to report, civil conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and unjust enrichment.
Cindy Clemishire and her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire, filed the suit less than a year after sharing the allegations with a religious watchdog blog, The Wartburg Watch. Cindy, 53, claimed she met Morris in 1981 while he was preaching at her church in Oklahoma and their families became close. She said Morris touched her inappropriately while staying at her house in 1982, and the abuse continued for the next four-and-a-half years.
An Oklahoma grand jury in March indicted Morris on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. He is currently out on bond. In the newly filed suit, Cindy alleges Morris’ wife, sons, and church members attempted to cover up the abuse for financial gain, according to a report from affiliate FOX 4.