Episcopal Diocese of New York Investigates Alleged Sexual Assault Claims at Saint Thomas Church

A priest at Saint Thomas Church in Midtown has been placed on administrative leave by the Episcopal Diocese of New York while the church investigates allegations of sexual assault detailed in a lawsuit filed this month by a parishioner.

A J.P. Morgan loan officer filed the lawsuit against the Episcopal Diocese of New York and Saint Thomas Church on West 53rd and 5th Avenue, alleging that clergy and staff sexually assaulted him — and that when he spoke up, church leadership retaliated by portraying him as a violent threat to parishioners and even contacting his employer.

The lawsuit, filed in New York County Supreme Court on Sept. 8, details a series of alleged incidents beginning in late 2024, when the 31-year-old victim of Westchester County had been regularly attending services and becoming active in the Saint Thomas community.

According to the complaint, the victim claims he was first assaulted in November 2024 by William Davis, a nurse employed by Saint Thomas. He alleges that Davis showed him photographs of him wearing fishnet stockings while the two men were in the church foyer after Sunday service, before telling him that upstairs is “where the action happens.” As the victim walked away from the encounter, he claims that Davis grabbed his buttocks.

Davis allegedly repeated the behavior on multiple occasions after Sunday services, including later that December, when he followed the victim into the men’s bathroom, reached into his pants, and penetrated his anus with his finger.

On Jan. 28, 2025, he said he attended a gathering at the West 58th Street apartment of Reverend Mark Schultz, a Saint Thomas priest, and Schultz’s husband, Erich Erving, a Lutheran printmaker. The apartment, the lawsuit notes, is the site of the Saint Thomas Choir School, owned by the church and houses clergy and choir school staff.

At that gathering, he says Erving allegedly picked up salad tongs and, through his clothing, grabbed his genitals. Rev. Schultz then allegedly placed his hand down his pants, touched his buttocks, and briefly penetrated him. “Shocked and speechless,” he says he left the gathering early.

The lawsuit claims that a pastoral care meeting between Rev. Schultz and the victim was due to take place the following day, but it was canceled after the previous night’s encounter. amNewYork was informed that William Davis is no longer employed at Saint Thomas, though it is not confirmed what led to his departure or when it occurred. A source close to the investigation said that Schultz and his husband no longer reside at the church-owned apartment and that Schultz voluntarily stepped back from his duties once an inquiry was announced.

It is unclear when the investigation began, though the accusations were reported to the church.

Source: Read the original report