Local Man Files Lawsuit Against Jehovah’s Witnesses Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse

A local man has filed a lawsuit against Jehovah’s Witnesses, alleging he was sexually abused and raped by a student mentor in the organization when he was 14. The case, filed in New York, names the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization, a Palm Beach County man, and others. The plaintiff, Michael Ewing, said he was molested and raped at a Kingdom Hall in Virginia during his teenage years. He said his parents were unaware of the abuse and even invited the alleged abuser, Michael Rust, on a family vacation.

Ewing described the trauma of recalling the abuse, saying he was unable to speak about it for two years. He said the experience left him feeling isolated, believing he was the only one who had suffered. The emotional toll resurfaced recently when he saw a Jehovah’s Witness and a young boy at a Stuart diner, triggering a visceral reaction. “I started shaking. I couldn’t eat. I started getting visibly upset. That is exactly how it was for me. That’s how it started,” he said.

Ewing hired an attorney and discovered that Rust had worked as an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Church in Boca Raton. After confronting Rust and the church, the man was removed from his position. “Once we were able to say, ‘Hey,’ — to Mike and that church — ‘this is what happened’ and they eliminated his position, that’s when the power started to shift,” Ewing said.

The lawsuit was filed under the Child Victims Act, which allows claims previously barred by the statute of limitations to be brought forward. The case names the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses and others. Efforts to reach Rust for comment were unsuccessful, and the Calvary Chapel Church confirmed that Rust was removed from his position due to the allegations. The church stated it takes child safety very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy regarding inappropriate boundaries and relationships.

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