First Baptist Dallas Church sued for mishandling alleged sexual abuse of a minor

A North Texas family says their son was sexually assaulted by an older student during a mission trip, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Dallas.

The suit, filed by the victim’s father, says the incident occurred during a trip to San Diego in July 2022 attended by several eighth- and 10th-grade boys.

The lawsuit says the alleged victim, identified only as DR, joined other eighth-grade boys in a hotel room the alleged abuser shared with other tenth-grade boys on the last night of the trip, where they watched a movie featuring watched an R rating. Shortly after the film ended, the indictment says he sexually assaulted DR while another student watched. The witness told the alleged victim the next morning, “Nobody needs to know what happened yesterday,” according to the complaint.

“Because DR did not want to get in trouble or be shamed by the older boys, DR did not report the abuse,” it reads.

KERA is withholding the names of the family because the alleged victim, identified in the lawsuit as a 16-year-old, is a minor.

First Baptist denied the allegations in an email to KERA, claiming the incident was “consensual sexual activity.”

“Immediately upon learning of the allegation, it was reported to the necessary appropriate law enforcement authorities,” the church statement read. “After extensive investigation, including interviews with eyewitnesses, each law enforcement agency indicated that this was consensual sexual activity and closed all respective cases.”

Two months after the alleged attack, DR and his mother said they received a call from David Hutchinson, associate professor of worship, to discuss “an incident that occurred during the mission trip.” Hutchinson did not provide further details when the mother asked about the incident because he was “under strict orders not to say anything,” according to court documents.

DR and his mother say they met with other Hutchinson church leaders, Alan Lynch and Ryland Whitehorn, at which point Hutchinson claimed the eighth-grader and four other students watched a “pornographic movie” and engaged in sexual intercourse during the trip. had engaged in sexual activities.

DR then told church leaders about the abuse he had experienced, and Lynch told the victim’s mother that he would report the abuse later that day, according to the complaint. Lynch also blamed the child for what happened that night, the lawsuit said.

At the end of the meeting, Lynch said what DR had done was wrong and that he needed forgiveness from First Baptist, according to the lawsuit.

When his mother called a few days later to ask if her son was returning to church, Lynch told her they only had “accusations” and that he had been told no violence had been used by the alleged abuser, according to the complaint, and that the church would keep her. the two boys separated during church events.

“From this point on, Lynch argued with DR and (the mother) whenever they spoke and attempted to intimidate and silence them,” the complaint reads.

DR’s father asked First Baptist for a copy of the church’s sexual abuse policy, but executive pastor Ben Lovvorn told him that First Baptist had no policy on reporting sexual abuse of minors, according to the complaint.

Before the trip to San Diego, the indictment says his mother allowed her son to go on a church camp in New Mexico, where she received a call from New Mexico police about another student being held to the throat loved her son while threatening him.

The lawsuit says Hutchinson and other church leaders “took the situation seriously” but discouraged the mother from filing charges.

The lawsuit also alleges that the church knew of the accused boy’s history of sexually abusing another alleged victim during a First Baptist youth trip, but Lynch convinced the victim’s mother not to report the incident to the higher authorities of the church.

The family claims negligence of statutory duty, breach of that duty and damages caused by that breach, and demands a jury trial.

Do you have a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at [email protected].

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