February 12, 2019 — An investigation has found that around 380 Southern Baptist church ministers, deacons, leaders and volunteers have been credibly accused or convicted or sexual abuse in the last 20 years.
The sexual misconduct allegations involve over 700 victims, according to a report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News.
Out of nearly 400 perpetrators, about 220 have been convicted of sex crimes, 90 remain in prison, and another 100 are registered sex offenders.
Tragically, investigators found evidence of the Southern Baptist leadership systematically covering up sex abuse allegations and moving sex offenders to other churches.
In fact, at least 10 churches re-hired pastors, ministers and volunteers who had been charged with sexual misconduct, including many who were registered sex offenders.
Perhaps the most egregious is the case of Darrell Gilyard, a convicted child molester who was allowed to return to the pulpit at Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida after serving 3 years in prison for child molestation. He also admitted to impregnating a woman who accused him of raping her during a counseling session.
Lawsuits have been filed by victims of sex abuse in the SBC church. Paul Pressler, former vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, was accused of molestation and soliciting sex from two men.
In 2017, a lawsuit was filed against Pressler by another man who claimed that he was regularly raped 2-3 times a month by Pressler at his home. In 2004, Pressler paid the man $450,000 for physical assault, according to the Houston Chronicle investigation.
Another problem is that SBC churches have continued to employ men who were accused or convicted of sexual assault. Pastors Leslie Mason, Michael Lee Jones and Joseph S. Ratliff all continued to work within the SBC church after being accused of sexual misconduct.
J. D. Greear, current president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) church, described the abuses “pure evil” and admitted that the church had failed to listen to victims and address concerns.
Survivors of sexual abuse in the SBC church demanded a database of sexual abusers in 2008, but the proposed reforms were rejected. Church leaders claimed that creating a database of sex abusers might infringe on the autonomy of individual churches.
Do I have a Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting sexual abuse induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been sexually abused, molested, assaulted, or raped in the SBC church, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sex Abuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.Sex Abuse Lawsuits Filed Against Southern Baptist Church
If you were sexually abused, assaulted, molested or raped in the SBC church, contact our lawyers for lawsuit info at (866) 920-0753.
February 12, 2019 — An investigation has found that around 380 Southern Baptist church ministers, deacons, leaders and volunteers have been credibly accused or convicted or sexual abuse in the last 20 years.
The sexual misconduct allegations involve over 700 victims, according to a report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News.
Out of nearly 400 perpetrators, about 220 have been convicted of sex crimes, 90 remain in prison, and another 100 are registered sex offenders.
Tragically, investigators found evidence of the Southern Baptist leadership systematically covering up sex abuse allegations and moving sex offenders to other churches.
In fact, at least 10 churches re-hired pastors, ministers and volunteers who had been charged with sexual misconduct, including many who were registered sex offenders.
Perhaps the most egregious is the case of Darrell Gilyard, a convicted child molester who was allowed to return to the pulpit at Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida after serving 3 years in prison for child molestation. He also admitted to impregnating a woman who accused him of raping her during a counseling session.
Lawsuits have been filed by victims of sex abuse in the SBC church. Paul Pressler, former vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, was accused of molestation and soliciting sex from two men.
In 2017, a lawsuit was filed against Pressler by another man who claimed that he was regularly raped 2-3 times a month by Pressler at his home. In 2004, Pressler paid the man $450,000 for physical assault, according to the Houston Chronicle investigation.
Another problem is that SBC churches have continued to employ men who were accused or convicted of sexual assault. Pastors Leslie Mason, Michael Lee Jones and Joseph S. Ratliff all continued to work within the SBC church after being accused of sexual misconduct.
J. D. Greear, current president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) church, described the abuses “pure evil” and admitted that the church had failed to listen to victims and address concerns.
Survivors of sexual abuse in the SBC church demanded a database of sexual abusers in 2008, but the proposed reforms were rejected. Church leaders claimed that creating a database of sex abusers might infringe on the autonomy of individual churches.
Do I have a Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting sexual abuse induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been sexually abused, molested, assaulted, or raped in the SBC church, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sex Abuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
