Lawyer for Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris blamed 12-year-old girl for "inappropriate" sexual contact
SOUTHLAKE — A month after Texas pastor Robert Morris resigned from Gateway Church when he was publicly accused of abusing a child in the 1980s, correspondence acquired by CBS News Texas reveals the pastor's lawyers blamed his accuser for allegedly initiating the inappropriate relationship.
In June, Cindy Clemishire publicly accused Morris of sexually abusing her starting in 1982, when she was 12 years old. Shortly after, the pastor admitted to "inappropriate sexual behavior" and resigned from the North Texas megachurch.
Newly obtained letters dating back to 2007 state that, according to Clemishire, the "abuse continued until March of 1987," when she was 17 years old. The correspondence sent from Clemishire's lawyers to Morris also indicated that decades later she was still "experiencing extreme emotional distress and ongoing mental anguish."
In response, Morris' attorney told Clemishire's legal advisor that "It was your client who initiated inappropriate behavior by coming into my client's bedroom and getting in bed with him."
CBS News Texas has reached out to Pastor Morris' attorney for comment, and they have not replied as of publication.
No criminal charges have ever been filed in this case, and it's likely the statute of limitations has run out on any that might have been.
All this comes as CBS News Texas discovered new lawsuits against the church, one of which the mother of a minor claimed her daughter was sexually assaulted by a member of the church and the church tried to cover it up, which the church denied.
Four church elders, including Morris' son, have taken a voluntary temporary leave of absence while an internal review is done.