LIVINGSTON (MT)
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
By SCOTT McMILLION, Chronicle Staff Writer
LIVINGSTON - The public and the media don't need to know the details of how the Church of God handled allegations that one of its ministers molested three teenage girls here, lawyers for the church have argued in court papers.
"Much of the factual information requested may not be entirely free of damaging information which the individuals involved would not wish and, in fact, did not expect to be disclosed publicly," lawyers wrote in a motion filed here earlier this month.
The case involves allegations that Terrence Passmore, a former pastor at the Livingston Church of God, sexually molested three girls who belonged to the church. Two of them are sisters and the third is unrelated. Two of them were 14 at the time and one was 12.
The alleged assaults took place in 1998. A civil suit was filed in April, seeking $3.7 million from Passmore, the local church and its regional and national offices.