A North Texas family says their son was sexually assaulted by an older student during a tour of duty, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Dallas.

The lawsuit filed by the victim’s father states that the incident occurred in July 2022 during a trip to San Diego that included multiple eighth- and 10th-grade boys.

The lawsuit states that the victim, identified only as DR, watched an R-rated movie with other eighth-grade boys on the last night of the trip in a hotel room that the alleged abuser shared with other 10th-grade boys. Shortly after the movie ended, the lawsuit says, he sexually assaulted DR while another student watched. The witness told the alleged victim the next morning: “No one needs to know what happened yesterday.” According to the case file.

“DR didn’t report the abuse because he didn’t want to get in trouble or be embarrassed by older kids,” she says.

KERA is withholding the names of the family because the alleged 16-year-old victim in the case is a minor.

First Baptist denied the allegations in an email to KERA and claimed the incident was “consensual sexual activity.”

The church’s statement said, “Upon learning of the allegation, it was immediately reported to the necessary law enforcement authorities.” “After extensive investigations, including interviews with eyewitnesses, every law enforcement agency determined this was consensual sexual activity and closed all related cases.”

Two months after the alleged assault, DR and his mother said they were summoned by David Hutchinson, assistant minister of worship, to talk about “an incident that occurred on a mission trip.” Hutchinson did not give further details when his mother asked about the incident because he was “given strict orders not to say anything,” according to court documents.

DR and his mother said they met with Hutchinson’s other church leaders, Alan Lynch and Ryland Whitehorn, during which Hutchinson claimed the eighth-grader and four other students watched a “pornographic movie” and engaged in sexual activities during the trip.

DR later told church leaders about the abuse, and Lynch told the victim’s mother that she would report the abuse later that day, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit states that Lynch also held the child responsible for what happened that night.

At the end of the meeting, Lynch said what DR did was wrong and he needed forgiveness from First Baptist, according to the lawsuit.

When his mother called a few days later and asked questions about her son returning to church, Lynch told her that these were all “allegations” and that she had been told no force was used by the alleged abuser, and that the church would pursue that. The two children were separated during church events.

“From that point on, Lynch argued with DR and (the mother) whenever they spoke and attempted to intimidate and silence them,” the lawsuit reads.

According to the lawsuit, DR’s father asked First Baptist for a copy of the church’s sexual abuse policy, but Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn told him that First Baptist did not have a policy on reporting sexual abuse of minors.

Before the San Diego trip, the lawsuit states, his mother allowed her son to go on a New Mexico church camp trip, where she received a call from New Mexico police that another student had held a knife to her son’s throat while threatening him.

The lawsuit says Hutchinson and other church leaders “took the situation seriously” but discouraged the mother from pressing charges.

The lawsuit also alleges that the church knew of the accused boy’s history of sexually abusing another alleged victim at a First Baptist youth trip, but that Lynch persuaded the victim’s mother not to report the incident to higher authorities at the church.

The family is demanding a jury trial, alleging negligence of legal duty, breach of duty, and damages caused by this breach.

Got a clue? Email Penelope Rivera at: [email protected].

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