Dallas, Texas, Defamation Suit Against Former Gateway Pastor Robert Morris Dismissed, Now Appealed to Texas Supreme Court

Cindy Clemishire has asked the Texas Supreme Court to reconsider a lawsuit that a Dallas appeals court dismissed, according to CBS News. Clemishire alleges she was sexually abused by Robert Morris beginning when she was 12 years old. CBS reports that the abuse lasted four and a half years and took place in Oklahoma. Fox 4 News describes the alleged abuse as occurring in the 1980s, a timeframe the other reports do not give.

In June 2025, Clemishire and her father filed a $1 million defamation lawsuit in Dallas County against Morris, his wife Debbie, and several church elders. In August, the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas dismissed the case, citing the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, according to CBS. Fox 4 reports that Clemishire contends the dismissal rested on First Amendment protections related to religious freedom. Morris’s attorney, Bill Mateja, told Fox 4 that the lower courts dismissed the case based on the church’s apology and acknowledgment of past events.

Clemishire’s legal team, which includes State Rep. Jeff Leach, argues that the doctrine unfairly shields church leaders from accountability, a concern for protecting the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9). Leach has said Clemishire deserves her day in court. Gateway Church’s attorney, Ron Breaux, said the appellate decision reinforces church autonomy. Fox 4 notes that the civil case is distinct from Clemishire’s earlier criminal case against Morris. Mateja said he is confident the Texas Supreme Court will uphold the lower courts’ ruling.

CBS reports that in October 2025, Morris pleaded guilty to multiple counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. He was sentenced to six months in jail, is serving probation, and must register as a sex offender.

Separately, a federal judge dismissed a fraud lawsuit filed by former Gateway Church members. The suit accused the church and the Morrises of mismanaging millions of dollars in donations. According to CBS, the plaintiffs have since appealed that dismissal.

Religion Unplugged reports that Dallas County Judge Emily Tobolowsky denied motions by Robert Morris and his wife, Debo, to drop the defamation lawsuit.