Overview
- The Fifth Court of Appeals granted a stay that pauses Cindy Clemishire’s $1 million lawsuit against Gateway Church and its independent elders and stops access to internal emails and records, with a legal expert saying the pause effectively covers all defendants.
- The three-judge panel set a Dec. 29 deadline for briefs as it weighs jurisdictional arguments grounded in First Amendment protections.
- Earlier this month, a Dallas trial judge denied motions to dismiss and allowed limited discovery under the Texas Citizens Participation Act, prompting defendants to seek mandamus relief.
- Clemishire and her father filed the case in July alleging Robert Morris and church leaders defamed them by minimizing her abuse; Morris pleaded guilty on Oct. 2 in Oklahoma and received a six-month jail term.
- Separately, Church Mutual filed a Nov. 6 declaratory action seeking a ruling that its 2023–2025 policies do not cover the suit and asking to exclude the Robert Morris Evangelistic Association from any coverage.