Class action filed against Pawleys Island, South Carolina, church and Christian academy over alleged concealment of registered sex offender’s campus presence

A federal class-action lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina names Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy, along with several current and former leaders, a church volunteer, and the Southern Baptist Convention and its Executive Committee. The complaint alleges that church and academy leaders knowingly concealed the presence on campus of Warren Perry, a registered sex offender convicted in 2023 of sexual exploitation of a minor, while continuing to market the academy as a safe environment for children.

According to the filing, Perry was allegedly allowed to work, volunteer or perform maintenance duties on the church and school campus. The suit seeks to represent both students who attended the academy and parents who paid tuition during the period Perry was present. Plaintiffs argue that parents enrolled their children based on representations that the academy was a safe environment staffed by screened adults, and that those representations were false because Perry allegedly had regular access to children.

The lawsuit states that church and academy officials knew of Perry’s conviction and sex offender status but continued to allow him to occupy a role with “repeated, direct, daily and unrestricted access” to children. The complaint further claims parents were never informed of his presence. Plaintiffs also contend that families may not know the full extent of their children’s exposure, because many students were very young at the time. “Because of their minor child’s age, the full extent of what he saw, experienced, or may have been subjected to … cannot presently be known,” the complaint states.

The filing alleges that academy staff members raised concerns about Perry’s status, but those concerns were allegedly dismissed, and that leaders did not restrict his access or notify parents. Plaintiffs also allege failures to disclose background-check deficiencies and say officials continued to assure families that appropriate safety measures were in place. The complaint describes this as a systematic failure by church and academy leadership to disclose a known safety risk to families.

The proposed class action has two groups. The “Child Class” includes students enrolled at the academy during the period Perry was present on campus. The “Parent Class” includes anyone who paid tuition or mandatory enrollment fees during that same period.

The lawsuit does not seek to litigate individual allegations of sexual abuse. It preserves the right of any child or parent to pursue separate claims involving individualized physical, emotional or psychological injuries. The class action focuses on economic losses, exposure to risk and alleged misrepresentations made to families.

The complaint asserts six causes of action: negligence, negligent hiring and supervision, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, violation of the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act, and reckless infliction of emotional distress. The suit asks the court to certify the class, award compensatory and punitive damages, order restitution for parents who paid tuition during the relevant period, and award attorneys’ fees and costs. It also seeks a judicial finding that the defendants’ conduct violated the laws cited in the complaint.

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