Days before a scheduled hearing in Dallas County court, former Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris and his wife, Deborah Morris, have asked to be removed from a $1 million defamation lawsuit filed by Cindy Clemishire. This follows a removal request in August by three other defendants, all former Gateway Church elders.
On Oct. 27, the Morrises filed paperwork in which they denied “each and every allegation” brought by Clemishire, whom Morris was convicted of sexually abusing decades ago. The Morrises claimed the statute of limitations has expired and said the plaintiffs (Clemishire and her father) didn’t send a written request for correction, clarification, or retraction, as required by law.
Robert Morris, founder and former senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, is currently serving six months in prison for sexually abusing Clemishire in the early 1980s. At the time, Morris was a traveling evangelist in his early 20s, and Clemishire was 12.
RELATED: 3 Former Gateway Church Elders Deny Wrongdoing, Seek Removal From Cindy Clemishire’s Lawsuit
Earlier this month, Morris pleaded guilty in Oklahoma to five felony counts of child sex abuse. The former pastor, 64, received a 10-year prison sentence, with all but six months suspended. He also was ordered to pay Clemishire $270,000 in restitution.
Morrises Want Out of Defamation Lawsuit
In June 2024, after Cindy Clemishire went public with abuse allegations against Robert Morris, the pastor resigned from his Dallas-area megachurch. Morris had previously admitted to engaging in “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady,” but only after Clemishire came forward was her age at the time of the abuse publicly known.
As ChurchLeaders has reported, Clemishire and her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire, filed a $1 million defamation lawsuit in June 2025 against Morris, his wife Deborah (Gateway’s former women’s ministry leader), eight Gateway elders, and Lawrence Swicegood (Gateway’s former media director).
In the civil suit, plaintiffs claim that defendants mischaracterized Clemishire’s age and the nature of her “relationship” with Robert Morris. Clemishire and her father also argue that Gateway leaders gave false statements to congregants and the media about when they learned Cindy was just 12 at the time of the abuse.
Days before a scheduled hearing in Dallas County court, former Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris and his wife, Deborah Morris, have asked to be removed from a $1 million defamation lawsuit filed by Cindy Clemishire.Click to PostA date for a jury trial in the defamation lawsuit has been set for June 15, 2026.
