Overview

• Two federal lawsuits filed in California name Harvest Christian Fellowship, founder Greg Laurie, and former missions pastor Richard Schutte, alongside ex-pastor Paul Havsgaard.
• Plaintiffs Marian Barbu, 33, and Mihai-Constantin Petcu, 40, allege Havsgaard sexually abused and trafficked children at Bucharest shelters over years.
• The complaints assert church leaders ignored warnings, including a 2004 audit, and continued support, alleging deposits of about $17,000 per month to Havsgaard’s personal account.
• Plaintiffs’ attorneys say they expect to file at least about 20 additional cases from other former residents of the Romanian homes in the coming weeks.
• Harvest acknowledges funding the Romania work for a period, rejects responsibility for oversight, says it reported allegations to law enforcement, and has 21 days to respond to the suits.