Defamation Lawsuit Against Gateway Church Elders
Three current Gateway Church elders named in a defamation lawsuit filed by Robert Morris’ accuser denied defaming her in a court filing on Thursday. Cindy Clemishire, who accused Morris last year of sexually abusing her when she was a child, filed the lawsuit in June in Dallas County. The suit named Morris; his wife, Debbie; the Robert Morris Evangelistic Association; Gateway; three of its current elders; several former elders and a former Gateway spokesperson.
Cindy Clemishire poses for a photo at her home in Jones, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. Clemishire says Robert Morris, the founder and longtime senior pastor of Gateway Church, began sexually abusing her when she was 12 years old. The abuse lasted four and a half years, she says.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
The Allegations and Lawsuit
The suit alleged Clemishire and her family were defamed by statements made by Morris that referred to Clemishire as a “young lady” and categorized the alleged abuse as an “inappropriate relationship.” The suit is currently set for trial on June 15, 2026.
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(From left) Gateway Church elders Oscar Morales, Kenneth W. Fambro II, Dane Minor, Randy McFarland, Mark Mueller, Tra Willbanks and Brad Moore pose for a photo at the Gateway Church Administrative Offices in Southlake on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
The Response of the Elders
The three elders, Tra Willbanks, Kenneth Fambro and Dane Minor, are the only elders who remain from Morris’ tenure as senior pastor of Gateway, which at its peak was one of the largest megachurches in the country. Several other elders and staff members were removed from the church in November after an investigation by a law firm found they knew about the allegations against Morris before Clemishire publicly accused him.
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In the Thursday filing, the three current elders said they “knew nothing” about Clemishire and her family and did not make or publish the June 14 statement referenced in the lawsuit. The filing also said the elders took steps to remove Morris and others who knew about the alleged abuse after learning of it.
“With each step, they sought the truth and followed their faith,” the filing said.
The filing also said the suit should be dismissed because of a lack of subject matter jurisdiction; the filing said the suit deals with issues of “church governance and religious doctrine.”
Other former elders have also denied Clemishire’s claims.
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