Court Blocks Church Defamation Lawsuit | Texas News

Texas News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 21, 2026 · 1m

A Texas appeals court has thrown out a major defamation lawsuit against Gateway Church and its former leaders, ruling that civil courts can’t intervene in internal church matters under the First Amendment — a decision that reverses an earlier ruling. The suit, brought by Cindy Clemishire and her father, accused founder Robert Morris of defaming them by downplaying his childhood sexual abuse of Cindy as an “extramarital relationship” and falsely claiming their family had forgiven him and blessed his return to ministry. Morris later pleaded guilty to child sex abuse and served time. While most…