sexual abuse & assault

A Dallas County judge on Friday denied requests from two former Gateway Church elders to be dismissed from the lawsuit.

More than half of Texas adults have experienced physical violence in their lifetime, according to the first comprehensive statewide survey. The Texas Violence Experiences Survey also found economic shocks, like eviction and loss of employment, have a strong correlation with recent experiences of violence.

There's a nationwide shortage of nurses who can provide sexual assault care. A recent UT Arlington study found rural nurses encounter unique challenges when trying to access training to fill that gap.

City Council member Mayrani Velazquez is using her own experience leaving an abusive relationship to help other women in Terrell and across Kaufman County.

Caleb Elliot, 26, was federally indicted last month on eight counts of production and attempted production of child pornography.

A Dallas County judge ruled last week the defamation lawsuit from Cindy Clemishire could continue after Gateway and its elders asked to be dismissed from the suit.

A Dallas County judge on Tuesday denied efforts by Gateway Church and church elders to dismiss the lawsuit on grounds that it centers a religious issue that secular courts shouldn't be involved in.

A Dallas judge will decide whether her court has jurisdiction over Cindy Clemishire's lawsuit against Gateway Church and Robert Morris, the former pastor who's been convicted of sexually abusing her as a child. The Southlake megachurch argues the case deals with religious matters over which a secular civil court has no authority.

Robert Morris is currently serving six months at a Oklahoma jail for sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire when she was 12 years old. She's also suing Morris, his wife and Gateway Church elders for defamation and covering up the abuse.

Fort Worth city staff recommend council members create an ordinance that bars certain sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of child safety zones, which Texas law defines as schools, playgrounds, public pools, youth centers and other such places.

From sexual abuse that began in the 1980s to his guilty plea more than 30 years later, this is a timeline of everything that happened in Robert Morris' legal saga.

Diego Fuller told church members during a service last week that he's innocent on the charge he's facing.