US EditionGateway Church sued by former founding pastor Robert Morris, who seeks $1M after stepping down amid child sex abuse allegations
- Robert Morris, the founder and former senior pastor of Gateway Church, initiated legal action seeking recovery of deferred compensation valued at just over $1 million, along with additional retirement benefits, following his resignation in June 2024 amid longstanding sexual abuse allegations from the 1980s in Oklahoma.
- Morris stepped down shortly after Cindy Clemishire publicly accused him of sexually abusing her starting in 1982 when she was 12, leading to a March indictment on five counts of lewd acts with a child, and subsequent legal proceedings in Osage County.
- Gateway Church responded by filing court documents in Tarrant County, asserting Morris failed to follow their contractually required mediation before arbitration and denying his financial claims while highlighting the damage his conduct caused to the community.
- Morris seeks a lump sum over $1 million, annual retirement payments between $600,000 and $800,000 until age 70, intellectual property rights, and ongoing payments, while Gateway rejects the claims as false and questions whether damages offset any owed funds.
- The dispute suggests prolonged legal conflict as Gateway seeks to block arbitration based on contractual grounds, with Morris due for a preliminary hearing on the abuse charges scheduled for September 4, 2025, indicating continuing ramifications for the church and community.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Court records reveal Robert Morris asked Gateway Church for millions in retirement pay
Recent court documents filed in 2025 reveal that Robert Morris, the disgraced founder and former senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, demanded millions of dollars in retirement compensation from the megachurch following his resignation in June 2024. The demands come amid serious allegations of child sexual abuse from the 1980s, which led to […]
Robert Morris asked Gateway Church for millions in retirement pay, court records show
Gateway Church founder Robert Morris, who resigned from the Southlake, Texas, megachurch last June after he was accused of child sex abuse, demanded a million dollars upfront plus hundreds of thousands more annually in retirement compensation shortly after his exit, but the church refused. #RobertMorris #GatewayChurch #CindyClemishire
As Robert Morris Case Continues, How Should Christians Interpret Such Scandals?
Robert Morris, the disgraced pastor from Texas, just appeared in court for the first time since his tumultuous exit nearly a year ago from Gateway Church, the church he founded in 2000. “It’s really sad and tragic when those things take place,” Jeff Schreve, an author and pastor based in Texarkana, said on a recent episode of “Faith vs. Culture,” referring to cases like the Morris scandal. Morris’ dramatic fall from grace rocked not only the ch…
Gateway Church sued by former founding pastor Robert Morris, who seeks $1M after stepping down amid child sex abuse allegations
Gateway Church files to stop arbitration after accusations against Robert Morris, seeking to avoid $1M compensation and reclaim intellectual property rights.
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