Robert Morris Suing Gateway Church For Millions In Retirement Benefits and Compensation
Robert Morris, the disgraced former pastor of Gateway Church, once America’s largest megachurch, has filed a lawsuit against his former congregation, demanding millions in retirement payments. The church, however, is fiercely contesting his claims.
Morris, 63, faces allegations that in 1982 he began sexually abusing 12-year-old Cindy Clemishire, who claims the abuse continued for over four years. Now indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, Morris faces up to 100 years in prison, with each count carrying a maximum of 20 years.
Despite these charges, Morris is suing Gateway Church, claiming its elders verbally promised him a lucrative retirement package: $1M upfront, $800,000 annually until he turns 70, and then $600,000 per year thereafter until both he and his wife pass, with payments continuing to the surviving spouse. If either lives into their early 80s, the total could approach $16 million.
According to the Austin American Statesman:
Morris’s arbitration also seeks to obtain the intellectual property rights to books he authored, recorded sermons, social media accounts tied to the pastor, the domain addresses pastorrobert.com and PSRobert.com.
Commenting on the manner, Gateway Church said in a statement:
“Shortly after the troubling revelations about his past conduct came to light last year, Robert Morris reached out to Gateway Church with a series of substantial financial demands.
Gateway Church has chosen not to meet those demands. In response, Robert Morris has filed a lawsuit in arbitration seeking financial compensation. His claims are false and do not reflect accountability for the impact of his actions on the community. We are filing our own response to this lawsuit, affirming our commitment to addressing these issues thoughtfully and thoroughly. We recognize the pain that has been felt by so many, and we are dedicated to maintaining the trust of our church family as we navigate this situation.”
Notably, Morris is also facing a lawsuit over his “money back guarantee” on his congregation’s tithes
On the bright side, many of us discovered Morris's former colleague, Steve LeBlanc, now Pastor of Sherman Bible Church in Sherman, TX. They have some top notch teaching sermons at their site ShermanBible.com. Recommend. I did not know they still had preachers like that.