Cindy Clemishire tells Texas House how Robert Morris shattered her innocence in 1982

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, March 20, 2025

Cindy Clemishire, whose story of childhood sexual abuse led to the indictment of Gateway Church founder Robert Morris by a multicounty grand jury in Oklahoma on March 12, mentioned he shattered her sheltered 1982 childhood innocence, and it has taken her a lifetime to heal.

The now 55-year-old grandmother of three testified on Wednesday together with different survivor advocates earlier than the Texas Home Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence committee in assist of Home Invoice 748. Often known as “Trey’s Legislation,” the laws would prohibit using nondisclosure agreements in civil settlement agreements involving victims of kid intercourse abuse and trafficking.

Clemishire alleged final June that Morris, who based the Southlake, Texas-based Gateway Church in 2000, sexually abused her over a number of years within the Eighties, starting when she was 12 and ending when she was 17 after she advised an grownup in regards to the abuse. Morris was a touring evangelist and married with one baby on the time. 

She advised state legislators she was haunted by disgrace she carried round like baggage for a few years and didn’t even settle for that she was abused till the age of 35.

“I used to be 35 the primary time I really accepted and believed that he abused me, that it was felony, and I understood what grooming was. And that modified the course of my journey to extra therapeutic, and there is anger, after all, concerned in that,” Clemishire mentioned. 

Dwelling within the small city of Hominy, Oklahoma, in 1982, the place the abuse came about, Clemishire mentioned that she wasn’t but uncovered to a lot at 12 years previous.

“I imply, [19]82 was a really totally different time after we did not carry computer systems round in our fingers and we had six channels possibly on our televisions,” she mentioned. “Innocence was very totally different than it’s now more often than not.”

At age 17, she claimed Morris’ spouse, Debbie, advised her that she forgave her for the abuse and was grateful as a result of she felt on the time that the abuse was her fault.

“At 17, once I advised, I did really feel as if I used to be the one at fault, even to the extent that Robert Morris’ spouse, Debbie, referred to as to inform me she forgave me,” Clemishire mentioned.

“At 17 and them [Morris family] being household associates, I used to be grateful as a result of I felt like I had carried out one thing incorrect and I had been handled as if I had carried out one thing incorrect by Robert,” she defined.

Trey’s Legislation, HB 748, was accepted unanimously by the Texas Home Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence committee to maneuver to the complete Home of Representatives for approval. If the Home passes it, the invoice will want approval by the Texas Senate and the governor to grow to be legislation.

Trey’s Legislation is called in honor of Trey Carlock, who died by suicide simply earlier than his twenty ninth birthday in 2019 after signing an NDA to settle a toddler intercourse abuse declare towards Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, Missouri.

His abuser, serial abuser Pete Newman, was discovered responsible of molesting at the very least 57 victims whereas he was a counselor at Kanakuk Kamps. Newman was given two life sentences plus 30 years for abusing six boys on the Christian camp and was denied parole final October.

Trey’s older sister, Elizabeth Phillips, testified to the committee that the restrictive NDA he signed to settle his case had destroyed him.

“My brother referred to his settlement as blood cash as if he had betrayed his personal soul to maintain Kanakuk secrets and techniques, and it killed him,” Phillips mentioned. “So I’m right here earlier than this committee to ask you to please keep in mind Trey. I am asking the Texas Legislature to move Trey’s legislation this session as an pressing matter of public security.”