A Dallas County judge has allowed a lawsuit against Gateway Church in Southlake to move forward, a case filed by a sexual assault survivor.
Cindy Clemishire sued the church and its elders for defamation, alleging they minimized and mischaracterized abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of the church’s founder and former lead pastor, Robert Morris.
The church had asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that courts cannot intervene in internal church matters. But Judge Emily Tobolowsky rejected that claim in a ruling Tuesday.
A trial is now scheduled for the summer of next year. Morris is serving a six-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting Clemishire.
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