Disgraced Gateway Church founding pastor Robert Morris and his wife, Deborah Morris, denied they defamed his victim or covered up her abuse as a child in a court filing Monday that seeks to have the case thrown out.
Among several reasons, they say Cindy Clemishire's claims are barred by the statute of limitations and because her own, "negligence, acts and/or omissions caused or contributed to [Morris'] alleged damages."
KERA News reached out to Morris’ and Clemishire’s attorneys and will update this story with any response.
Clemishire and her father filed the suit in June. They claim Morris, his wife, and Gateway staff covered up the abuse claims for years and defamed her when she came forward with the allegations.
Clemishire's suit points to Morris' previous statement acknowledging the abuse claims, where he referred to Clemishire as a “young lady.” They allege Morris, his wife, Gateway and its elders all benefited financially from hiding any known information about the sexual abuse claims.
The suit claims Morris characterized it as a consensual affair in which Morris, who was 22 at the time, was seduced by then-12-year-old Clemishire in the 1980s.
Morris pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child earlier this month and was given a 10-year sentence, but will only serve six months in Osage County Jail in Oklahoma, where the abuse took place.
He will also be required to register as a lifetime sex offender and pay Clemishire $270,000.
Morris' charity group, the Robert Morris Evangelistic Association, Gateway and four of its elders also filed motions to be dismissed from the suit in August and deny making any defamatory statements against Clemishire.
Clemishire publicly shared the abuse she endured from Morris in June 2024. Church elders issued Morris' statement to the congregation shortly after where the referred to Morris' abuse as a "moral failure," according to Clemishire's original filing.
Morris resigned from the church shortly after admitting to an “inappropriate relationship” with Clemishire, leading to his downfall and turmoil at Gateway. Since the case surfaced, the megachurch has faced a stark drop in church attendance and church donations, as well as staff cuts and unrelated lawsuits.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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