As a result, donors “funded ongoing misconduct and abysmal lack of oversight.”
“Ravi Zacharias was a public defender of the faith, who denied that faith by his private predatory actions. The RZIM board of directors were mandated as overseers of the individual conduct of RZ and the institutional conduct of RZIM,” she told RNS in a text message. “The board of directors abdicated this role and responsibility — a breach of public trust. It is just that they, and the estate of the late Zacharias, be held accountable by civil action.”
A pair of donors, Derek and Dora Carrier of Nevada, are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The couple donated $30,000 to RZIM in January 2020. They did so after listening to Zacharias for years, which the complaint said led them to believe in RZIM’s mission. Derek Carrier is a tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders.
“In late 2019 and early 2020, Plaintiffs carefully and prayerfully considered which ministries would receive their yearly tithe, or a portion thereof, and they readily accepted the call to provide financial support to Zacharias and RZIM,” the complaint states.
The complaint defines all donors — except for RZIM employees and others with direct ties to the group — who gave to Zacharias or RZIM from 2004 to Feb. 9, 2021, as being part of the class.
In February 2021, RZIM announced it would no longer accept donations. The nonprofit has also said it will stop doing apologetics work and will give donations to other Christian charities that do evangelism and support abuse victims.
It is unclear whether or not RZIM has begun to make donations to other ministries. The nonprofit had $36.8 million in net assets as of 2019, according to Ministry Watch. RZIM has laid off staff and closed down some of its international offices in recent months.
RZIM’s board hired Guidepost Solutions to review its culture and practices earlier this year. The results of that review have not been made public.
Brad R. Sohn, an attorney for the Carriers, said his firm has already heard from other donors who are interesting in joining the suit.
He said his clients, like many other donors, trusted Zacharias and other RZIM leaders, and that trust was betrayed. Sohn said his clients no longer believe RZIM is trustworthy and want their donations returned.
More than that, he said, the Carriers want all donors to be treated fairly.
“They could have picked up the phone and asked to have their money back,” he said. “But it’s not just about them.”
Sohn is skeptical of claims made by RZIM leaders that they have learned from their mistakes and that they will give the organization’s assets away. He said RZIM has had months to contact donors and return donations but failed to do so.
“Actions speak louder than words,” he said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This article originally appeared at Religion News Service.
