An Oklahoma woman who was sexually abused as a child by former Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris took her legal battle to Texas’ highest court Thursday, urging justices to revive her defamation lawsuit against Morris, his wife, and current and former church elders.
Cindy Clemishire traveled to Austin to argue before the Texas Supreme Court, saying the outcome of her case carries weight far beyond her own situation. “It’s not just about what happens with this case, but it’s about what happens in the future to every other person after me,” she said.
Morris pleaded guilty last year to sexually abusing Clemishire beginning when she was 12 years old, with the abuse dating back to the 1980s. He was released from an Oklahoma jail earlier this year and is currently serving the remainder of his sentence on probation.
A Texas appeals court dismissed Clemishire’s civil defamation case in August, invoking the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, a legal principle that restricts courts from intervening in matters tied to internal church governance and theological disputes.
State Representative Jeff Leach, who is representing Clemishire, contends that statements Gateway Church made after learning of Morris’ abuse caused additional harm to sexual abuse survivors and amount to defamation. Leach argued in the latest filing that “religious liberty cannot mean religious immunity.”
Gateway Church previously defended its communications, saying the statements were made to shepherd its congregation and are protected under the First Amendment. The church’s lead counsel declined to comment on the most recent Supreme Court filing.
An attorney for Morris also backed the lower court rulings, arguing that two courts have already determined Gateway’s internal affairs fall outside judicial jurisdiction. The attorney described the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine not as a loophole but as the Constitution functioning as designed.
Clemishire pushed back on that framing, insisting that religious freedom protections should not come at the expense of abuse victims. “The right is to protect religious freedom, but also protect children and any victim of abuse,” she said.
She called on the Texas Supreme Court to use her case as an opportunity to establish stronger protections for survivors. “We’ve got to set a precedent that we’re going to protect children and victims of abuse at every level,” Clemishire said.
The Texas Supreme Court has not yet indicated when it will issue a ruling in the case.