{"id":29102,"date":"2025-09-22T10:50:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T14:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=29102"},"modified":"2025-09-22T10:50:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T14:50:18","slug":"judge-refuses-to-dismiss-fraud-lawsuit-against-gateway-church-and-robert-morris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/09\/judge-refuses-to-dismiss-fraud-lawsuit-against-gateway-church-and-robert-morris","title":{"rendered":"Judge Refuses to Dismiss Fraud Lawsuit Against Gateway Church and Robert Morris"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: Facebook | Right: Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A federal judge has refused to dismiss a class action lawsuit accusing Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, and its founder, Robert Morris, of fraud and misappropriation of church funds, allowing the case to move forward.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant issued the ruling Wednesday, denying the defendants’ motion to dismiss. The court also granted the plaintiffs permission to amend their complaint to add “additional causes of action and new parties.”<\/p>\n

The lawsuit<\/a>, originally filed in October 2024 by several former Gateway members, alleges fraud, misrepresentation, and breach of contract. Plaintiffs Katherine and Garry Leach, Mark and Terri Browder, and others similarly situated argue that Gateway Church and Morris persuaded them to give tithes under false pretenses.<\/p>\n

According to the complaint, church leaders promised that 15 percent of donations would go to global missions and Jewish ministry partners. They also allegedly guaranteed refunds for dissatisfied givers\u2014a promise the plaintiffs say was never honored.<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs contend they were never able to verify where their donations were allocated due to what they describe as a lack of financial transparency. Gateway Church and Morris have denied the allegations, seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed with the backing of First Liberty Institute in an amicus curiae<\/em> brief.<\/p>\n

The defendants argued for dismissal on jurisdictional grounds under Federal Rule 12(b)(1) and claimed the fraud accusations failed to meet pleading standards under Rule 9(b) and Rule 12(b)(6). Judge Mazzant, however, found that the plaintiffs had “stated plausible claims for relief” and alleged enough facts to support fraud and breach of contract claims.<\/p>\n

The court allowed Gateway to refile its jurisdictional challenge later once more evidence is on the record.<\/p>\n

Robert Morris founded Gateway Church in 2000, building it into one of the largest megachurches in the nation. However, his ministry has been shaken by serious allegations.<\/p>\n

In June 2024, Morris resigned<\/a> after accusations surfaced that he sexually abused Cindy Clemishire for years beginning in the 1980s, when she was only 12. A multi-county Oklahoma grand jury indicted him earlier this year on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.<\/p>\n

Morris had also drawn attention for his unusual “money-back guarantee” on tithes, a teaching he promoted during a 2022 sermon<\/a> at Willow Creek Community Church. Preaching on “The Principle of First,” Morris encouraged Christians to give the first 10% of their income and promised that if they were not “fully satisfied” after one year, their tithes would be refunded.<\/p>\n

“With 22 years in the church, no one’s ever asked for their money back,” Morris said at the time.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit now moves forward, with plaintiffs given the opportunity to expand their claims and add new parties. For Gateway Church, once celebrated as a fast-growing megachurch, the case adds to the cloud of controversy already surrounding its former leader.<\/p>\n

As the legal process unfolds, the case will likely continue to raise questions about financial accountability, spiritual trust, and the stewardship of church resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A federal judge has refused to dismiss a class action lawsuit accusing Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, and its founder, Robert Morris, of fraud and misappropriation of church funds, allowing the case to move forward. U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant issued the ruling Wednesday, denying the defendants’ motion to dismiss. The court also granted…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":29105,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nJudge Refuses to Dismiss Fraud Lawsuit Against Gateway Church and Robert Morris<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Judge denies dismissal of fraud lawsuit against Gateway Church & Robert Morris, allowing claims of misused tithes to move forward.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/09\/judge-refuses-to-dismiss-fraud-lawsuit-against-gateway-church-and-robert-morris\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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