Four former Gateway Church elders and its founding pastor's nonprofit are denying that they helped cover up alleged sexual abuse claims and defamed the woman who accused Robert Morris of sexually abusing her as a child, according to recent court filings.
Court filings this month show Steve Dulin, Jeremy Carrasco, Gayland Lawshe and Thomas Miller filed motions to be removed from a suit that accuses them of slandering Morris' alleged victim, Cindy Clemishire
The suit, filed in June by Clemishire and her father, claims among other things that the megachurch, the elders, Morris and his wife covered up the abuse. The suit also says Morris characterized the alleged assault as a consensual affair in which Morris was seduced by Clemishire, who was a teenager at the time.
Dulin filed a general denial, saying in part that the alleged defamatory claims had substantial truth to them and were expressions of opinion, and that Clemishire's claims fail to prove he acted with actual malice.
"The statements at issue, reflect Defendant Dulin's acknowledgment of new information and his regret for not having all the facts earlier," court documents read. "There is no evidence to suggest that Defendant Dulin acted with actual malice in making any of the alleged statements, as Defendant Dulin did not know that any statements were false or act with reckless disregard as to their truth or falsity."
The suit also alleges Clemishire's suit is past the one-year statute of limitations period on defamation claims, and the two-year statute of limitations period on intentional infliction of emotional distress claims.
Carrasco's filing denies any wrongdoing and says if Clemishire's reputation was diminished, it would have been, "due to the acts of other third parties over whom [Carrasco] lacked control."
Miller's court filing denies Clemishire's claims and says Miller, "cannot be liable for publishing a true statement unless he omits or juxtaposes facts in a way that causes the statement to create false impression." And, if Miller made any statements in the past, they too were "made without actual malice," and would have been regarding the internal probe at Gateway and updating the congregation.
Lawshe filed a general denial but did not provide details.
Morris' charity group, Robert Morris Evangelistic Association, also said in court filings it denies making any defamatory statements against Clemishire.
Gateway and Miller's lawyer declined to comment. KERA News also reached out to the attorneys for Clemishire and the other church elders and will update this story with any response.
In November, Gateway said it fired staff who knew about the alleged abuse. Though the megachurch did not publicly name anyone, Lawshe, Carrasco, Miller and a fourth elder, Kevin Grove, were removed from Gateway's website during that time.
Clemishire's suit points to Morris' previous statement acknowledging the abuse claims, where he referred to Clemishire as a “young lady.” They claim Morris, his wife, Gateway and its elders all benefited financially from hiding any known information about the sexual abuse claims from Clemishire.
In June of 2024, Clemishire publicly shared Morris, 63, had sexually abused her when she was 12 years old in the 1980s. Clemishire said that abuse lasted more than four years.
Morris resigned from the church shortly after admitting to an “inappropriate relationship” with Clemishire.
The disgraced pastor has since been indicted in Osage County, Oklahoma — where the abuse allegedly occurred — on five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child. His next court date is Sept. 4.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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