Girl got herpes after church didn’t report alleged abuse, suit says | OregonLive.com
A woman who says her daughter told leaders of a McMinnville church that her father was sexually abusing her has filed a $5.2 million lawsuit, faulting church leaders for keeping quiet.The girl, starting at age 6 or 7, confided in various church leaders over the course of nearly two years, but they didn’t report the alleged abuse to police or child protection workers as required under Oregon’s mandatory reporting law, according to the suit.The leaders — including teachers and clergy — also didn’t say anything to the girl’s mother for nearly two years — and the girl ultimately ended up contracting herpes from her biological father, the lawsuit claims.Leaders of the Church on the Hill — also known as McMinnville Church of the Nazarene — mistakenly thought at first that the girl was accusing her stepfather and didn’t believe her, Portland attorney Randall Vogt said in a statement of facts he wrote about the case. The stepfather worked for the church and was well-liked, said Vogt, who represents the girl’s mother.”They essentially said, ‘He’s a good guy. He wouldn’t do something like that,'” Vogt said.The girl’s mother filed the suit Monday on behalf of the girl, now 12, in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The lawsuit alleges that the girl was molested in Multnomah County.The father hasn’t been charged with any crimes. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment because the case involves alleged child abuse.A church business administrator declined to comment, saying the church can’t discuss pending litigation. The church — at 700 N.W. Hill Road — averages about 1,000 attendees at its services, according to a recent church report.The girl’s parents were divorced when she was a toddler, but she regularly visited her father over the years. The girl’s mother remarried, and the mother, stepfather and the girl began attending the Church on the Hill, according to the suit.From 2010 to 2012 — when the girl was between about 6 and 8 — she told trusted leaders in the church that her dad was having sexual intercourse with her, the suit alleges.The girl eventually confided in her mother and a counselor, Vogt said, and the counselor contacted the Oregon Department of Human Services.The girl was later diagnosed with oral and genital herpes, according to the suit. A judge terminated the father’s parental rights in 2013, when the girl was 9, the suit says.The girl suffered psychologically from the abuse and tried more than once to kill herself, the suit says.The lawsuit contends that not only did church officials fail to abide by their duties as mandatory reporters under Oregon law, they also didn’t follow their own church’s nationwide policies to report abuse.The suit lists the McMinnville church and the national organization it’s associated with as defendants.The suit seeks $200,000 for the girl’s past and future medical expenses and counseling costs. The suit also seeks $5 million for the girl’s pain and suffering. Under Oregon law, if she’s determined to be a “vulnerable person” because of her age, the total amount sought could triple to $15.6 million.– Aimee Greenagreen@oregonian.com503-294-5119
Source: Girl got herpes after church didn’t report alleged abuse, suit says | OregonLive.com
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6 comments on “Girl got herpes after church didn’t report alleged abuse, suit says | OregonLive.com”
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Holly T. Ashley 
What a sad story. I wish we could do something to teach churches how to deal with domestic violence and with child sexual abuse. I get angry about it because I expect better of churches, but I try to remember that the secular world also has a real problem addressing it. We tend to focus on the church, I guess because our standards are higher. because we expect better, but sadly our schools, foster homes, etc have plenty of abuse going on too and the same inability to address it.
That’s what I do. After thirty years in the domestic violence fight, I now have a domestic violence training and services ministry. I have written a dv curriculum and training manual as well as a student workbook that has been approved for all victims and offenders as well as all court mandated individuals. No church has responded to our training programs for lay counselors our lay legal advocates. It’s so frustrating! I get calls daily from victims and I have little placement options, it’s horrible!
I spent many years working with DV victims in the secular world and have so much wanted to see the churches take over and lead the way. I think a real problem is the huge divide between feminism and the church, so when we try to speak of DV, the church tends to just see fems trying to destroy marriages. Of course any pastor worth his salt will know that abuse is a real thing in the world, but sometimes it seems as if they believe it is going to be all about men versus women or something.
Most churches won’t even acknowledge a problem at all! “We don’t have that problem” is what we tend to hear….
I know, right? It can be absolutely maddening. I am surprised by all the resistance. It’s a real shame too, because counseling, pastorial care, in the hands of churches is an awesome thing, it can bring about genuine healing, while leaving people with nowhere to turn but the secular world can just make everything worse.
You got that right! Women are abusing men at the rate of 1 out every 7 – and they are MEAN! they not only want men to die, they want them to suffer for very long periods of time – The Church is clueless- and that’s fine, but to turn a blind eye and say “we don’t have that problem here” or that they have staff-counselors is wrong! They don’t have people trained in the judicial system and they do have a problem! A big one!