Scandalized Victory Christian Center says Mother of Rape Victim Shouldn't Collect Damages in Case
The Tulsa, OK megachurch, Victory Christian Center, is asking that the local county courthouse to dismiss a civil lawsuit against them regarding the alleged cover up of the rape of a 13-year-old girl.
The church is also arguing that the girl's mother, who wasn't named, is not entitled to the $75,000 she is claiming in damages.
As
reported in July 2012, Chris Denman, a 20-year old former employee of
the church was arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year old girl in a
stairwell on the ministry's main campus. The young man was also charged
with molesting a 15-year-old girl, and for a separate crime where he
used a computer to make a lewd proposal to a child and committing a sex
crime involving a 12-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 55 years in
prison after pleading guilty to the charges.
However,
the mother of the assaulted 13-year-old girl filed a lawsuit against
the church in October, accusing Victory Christian Center of failing to
report the crime on time.
"Rather than contacting the appropriate authorities, defendant (Victory Christian Center) chose to conduct its own 'investigation' with the ultimate purpose of doing damage control as opposed to protecting the victim", the lawsuit reads.
The
case against Victory Christian Center involved five current members of
the megachurch, including youth pastors Charica Dene Daugherty and John
Samuel Daugherty, the son and daughter-in-law of the church's senior
pastor Sharon Daugherty, who are both facing changes for taking up to
two weeks to report the stairwell rape.
Source
