Family claims son was sexually abused during First Baptist Dallas mission trip, suing for more than $1 million

A North Texas father is suing First Baptist Dallas for negligence over allegations that his teenage son was sexually abused by an older boy during a summer mission trip in July 2022, court documents show.

The lawsuit was filed Nov. 11 in Dallas County. The plaintiff files a lawsuit on behalf of his son, seeking more than $1 million in damages.

Ryland Whitehorn, the church’s executive pastor, and Alan Lynch, the pastor of pastoral care and counseling, are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.

First Baptist Dallas officials said they reported the alleged incident to law enforcement authorities determined that the sexual activity was ‘consensual’, This is evident from a statement obtained from Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.

“First Baptist Church of Dallas categorically denies any allegations of impropriety,” the statement read.

The teen, who was a member of First Baptist’s student choir, was invited on a mission trip to San Diego, California, the year he completed eighth grade. His parents met with the leader in charge of the trip before giving their permission. They were assured that “First Baptist would ensure that the students were supervised and protected,” according to the lawsuit.

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Before the mission trip, the teen’s parents allowed him to attend a camp in New Mexico sponsored by First Baptist Dallas. During the camp, another First Baptist student allegedly held a knife to the teen’s throat and threatened him, according to the lawsuit.

Police officers in New Mexico informed the teen’s parents and asked if they wanted to pursue criminal charges. Later, two church employees called the parents to discourage them from filing charges and to assure them that the church was “taking the situation seriously,” according to the complaint.

According to the lawsuit, none of the church employees apologized for the incident during the phone call.

As a result of the incident in New Mexico, the teen’s parents would not let him go to San Diego with the group. They had “multiple conversations” with leaders about safety protocols for the mission trip, the lawsuit said.

The parents said they were told that the “participants would be a ‘solider group of teens’” and that the students would be more closely monitored than at the New Mexico camp.

The leaders assured “plaintiff … that First Baptist took the safety and supervision of students on First Baptist-sponsored trips very seriously,” the lawsuit said.

“Again, based on the repeated assurances of First Baptist and its agents,” the teen’s parents allowed him to go on a mission trip to San Diego, the lawsuit said.

The group stayed in a hotel while in San Diego. The last night of the trip, one of the leaders informed them that there was no curfew, according to the complaint. The only restrictions were that they stay on the hotel grounds and not go to opposite sex rooms.

A 10th grade student invited the teen to the hotel room he shared with three other boys in the same class. According to the lawsuit, one of the leaders was in the room talking to the 10th graders when the teen and other 8th graders arrived. He got ready to leave about 30 minutes later and told the teen to leave as well and go back to his own room, the suit said.

The 10th graders told the leader they wanted the younger teen to stay. He gave the boy permission and left, according to the lawsuit.

“This was the last time (the teen) had adult supervision that evening,” the lawsuit said.

One of the guys in the room went on Netflix and played an R-rated movie at some point during the night. Shortly after the lawsuit ended, the 10th grade student who invited the teen sexually assaulted him, the lawsuit alleges.

According to the complaint, another 10th grader witnessed the abuse. The next day, he told the teen and the other eighth-grade boys, “Nobody needs to know what happened yesterday,” the complaint says.

The teen did not report the abuse because he “didn’t want to get in trouble, be embarrassed or threatened by the older boys,” the lawsuit said.

About two months after the trip to San Diego, the teen and his parents were called to an urgent church meeting with Lynch and Whitehorn.

Lynch, the minister of pastoral care and counseling at First Baptist Dallas, began asking the teen questions about the incident in San Diego, the parents said. According to the lawsuit, he tried to “intimidate, frighten and confuse” the teen.

The teen told Lynch about “the full extent of the abuse by (the older boy),” according to the lawsuit, and Lynch told the family he would report the abuse to law enforcement authorities.

The parents understood that the 10th grader who allegedly abused their son would not be allowed on church property. Lynch later called them to say that “all we have right now are allegations” and that “no force was used” by the older boy, the complaint said. Youth leaders who were already aware of the reported abuse would try to keep the two boys apart during activities, the parents were told.

According to Lynch, no other leaders would be informed of the alleged abuse. He then argued with the teen’s parents “every time they spoke and attempted to intimidate and silence them,” according to the complaint.

The lawsuit also alleges that the same older boy molested another minor during a previous First Baptist Dallas mission trip. The victim’s mother said she told First Baptist about the abuse, but a church employee convinced her not to report it to higher church authorities.

“First Baptist knew that…an older youth with a history of sexually abusing younger boys would be on the mission trip to San Diego, while First Baptist assured plaintiff…that (his son) would be safe during the trip,” the suit reads.

When the plaintiff asked for a copy of First Baptist’s sexual abuse policy, he was told the church had no policy for reporting sexual abuse of minors, the lawsuit alleges.

In addition to suing First Baptist for negligence, the teen’s father is suing the church and Lynch on charges of intentional infliction of emotional distress and the church, Lynch and Whitehorn on civil conspiracy charges.

After learning that the 10th grader had sexually abused the teen, First Baptist, Whitehorn and Lynch formed a civil conspiracy to silence (the teen) and cover up the abuse, the lawsuit said.