Cindy Clemishire is asking the Texas Supreme Court to review her defamation lawsuit against Gateway Church, Robert Morris, his wife and former church elders after it was dismissed by a Dallas appeals court last month.
In a court filing, Clemishire’s attorneys argue that Southlake-based Gateway Church should not receive legal protections or church immunity for allegedly shielding any information it knew about the sexual abuse from Morris.
The filing comes after The Fifth District Court of Appeals in August dismissed all claims in Clemishire’s suit against Gateway, three former church elders and most claims against Morris.
“This is without question institutional abuse on top of horrific sexual abuse,” state Rep. Jeff Leach, one of Clemishire’s attorneys, told reporters at a press conference outside the state Supreme Court Thursday. “And it must not be allowed to stand. Cindy Clemshire deserves her day in a Texas civil court.”
In an interview after Thursday’s press conference, Clemishire told KUT she was extremely disappointed following the dismissal of her suit last month — but that it only refueled her to continue fighting.
“I have always said this is not about me, this is a bigger picture and at this point, at this level, it is about every person that has been abused, verbally, sexually, anything, in the church and any type of religious organization, they should not be silenced and predators and abusers of every type should never be protected,” Clemishire said.
Bill Mateja, an attorney for Morris, told KERA News in an email Thursday the state Supreme Court will make its decision based on the law.
“Let’s call the Clemishire press conference what it is, because it isn’t a legal filing and it certainly isn’t argument to the Court — it’s Ms. Clemishire’s lawyer grandstanding in advance of the November general election that has him seeking reelection as a state representative for House District 67," Mateja said. "Courts decide cases on the law, not on press conferences."
An attorney for Gateway declined to comment to KERA News Wednesday.
