Morris founded the Gateway Church in 2000 and resigned from his prominent position last week after a woman, Cindy Clemishire, detailed sexual abuse that she says took place beginning in 1982, when she was 12 years old. In a statement to The Christian Post, Morris admitted to “kissing and petting” a “young woman” on “several occasions.”
While the church has begun an independent investigation into the allegations, some state lawmakers are pointing to legal changes that can be made to pursue stronger penalties against perpetrators.
“His board members should be sued. He should be sued,” state Rep. Steve Toth, who represents the Woodlands, told WFAA. “We want to bring total clarity to the fact that you do this stuff, you cover up, and there’s going to be criminal and civil consequences.”
Among Toth’s proposed changes was raising the penalty for abusers and mandating that church board members become mandatory reporters, which would legally require a board member with any knowledge of abuse to approach law enforcement about the information. But Michelle Simpson Tuegel, a Dallas-based victim’s rights attorney who has represented victims in litigation involving sexual abuse by disgraced USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar and in clergy abuse scandals similar to Gateway’s, doesn’t believe mandatory reporting legislation is the most effective course when it comes to helping victims.
“There are thousands and thousands of survivors whose statute of limitations ran out before they were ever able to disclose." — Michelle Simpson Tuegel, attorney
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While she won’t argue against legislation meant to help victims, Tuegel said it is uncommon for district attorneys to pursue charges against individuals who failed to report abuse.
“The Károlyis had information about [Larry Nassar],” Tuegel told the Observer. “We held a press conference in front of the Attorney General’s office in Texas begging them to prosecute the Károlyis for failing to report, and no one was ever prosecuted for that. And there were hundreds of victims.” (Béla Károlyi owned a gymnastics training facility where Nassar gained access to victims.)
In cases of abuse at the hands of an institution — whether it be a tight-knit sports community, an evangelical summer camp or a megachurch — “nine times out of 10” there were adults within the organization who were “on notice,” but those individuals are seldom held accountable, she said.
Toth said working to educate district attorneys across the state on the necessity of prosecuting and indicting individuals who helped conceal child sex abuse would be part of his proposed legislation.
In times of great and sudden calamity, many of us feel quite helpless to put into words our thoughts. I’ve had many conversations, and seen many posts online, with friends and neighbors who are at a loss for words because of the news coming out of Gateway Church.
— John Huffman (@JohnRHuffman) June 18, 2024
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But even more effective, Tuegel believes, would be opening a “look-back window” that grants victims a chance to file a civil case against their abusers even after the statute of limitations has expired. In civil cases, Texas currently honors the statute of limitations that was in place at the time the abuse happened; as of 2019, victims have 30 years from the time they turn 18 to report their crime.
For Clemishire, whose alleged abuse took place in the early 1980s, the statute of limitations expired when she was only 20 years old.
“We know a lot of survivors don’t come forward until well into adulthood, so that’s why laws like this are so important,” Tuegel said. “There are thousands and thousands of survivors whose statute of limitations ran out before they were ever able to disclose, and those people deserve a chance at seeking some measure of justice.”
“We want to bring total clarity to the fact that you do this stuff, you cover up, and there’s going to be criminal and civil consequences.” — State Rep. Steve Toth
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Tuegel has advocated for look-back windows in New York and Louisiana, and in both cases, has seen “hundreds” of victims get the chance to pursue justice in their abuse cases. Last week, the Louisiana State Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the state's look-back window, which will allow child sex abuse victims to file cases through 2027.
The list of state lawmakers who have spoken out about Morris is a who's who of Texas politics, and Tuegel hopes it turns into the type of momentum toward victims' rights reform for which she has advocated for years, and she hopes that legislation is fashioned with victims' rights and needs at the forefront.
State Rep. Jeff Leach, whose district covers Plano, told The Dallas Morning News he intends to join lawmakers in examining the state laws surrounding child sex abuse in the 2025 legislative session.
“The Texas Legislature must continue to improve our laws protecting and ensuring justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse and holding criminals and those who aid them responsible,” Leach said. “Texas should be leading in this area — and as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a longtime advocate for victims and their families — I intend to lock arms with fellow lawmakers to do just that.”
