By Josh Farley
Kitsap Sun
November 15, 2007
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/15/woman-files-sex-abuse-lawsuit-against-sk-pastor/
CLICK HERE TO VIEW A COPY OF THE LAWSUIT (3 MB PDF FILE)
A sexual abuse lawsuit has been filed against a now-jailed former pastor and the South Colby church he once led, according to documents filed Wednesday in Kitsap County Superior Court.
The lawsuit names Robbin L. Harper, 60, his wife, Christine Harper, and The Church in South Colby as the defendants, and it accuses the church of taking "no steps to protect its female members from the abuse" alleged to have been committed by Harper.
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| Robbin Harper |
Harper has already been charged by Kitsap County prosecutors with eight felonies stemming from the rape and molestation allegations 10 women and girls who once attended the church. He's being held on $500,000 bail and his next appearance in the criminal case will be Nov. 29.
The plaintiff, "Kim K.," now 20, is represented by Port Orchard attorneys Andrew N. Becker and Steve Dixon. Dixon said Thursday the plaintiff is a "hero" for coming forward, and that her interview with the sheriff's office led to the investigation by detectives.
"She's the one that worked up the guts to turn this guy in and could have possibly saved countless others from this terrible pedophile," Dixon said.
The lawsuit describes, much like the Kitsap County Sheriff's detectives' reports in Harper's criminal charges, a pastor claiming to counsel the young woman when she was 12 but later sexually abusing her.
However, the lawsuit goes further, saying The Church in South Colby "knew or should have known" that Harper "was a pedophile," the documents said. It also alleges that the church failed "to adequately supervise" Harper, "to timely adopt policies and procedures to identify potential and actual sexual offenders," "to properly investigate (Harper)'s background," and that the church "negligently empowered" him during his time as pastor.
The lawsuit says Harper was the plaintiff's pastor since birth, and that when she was 12 when he "commenced youth counseling" with her. The lawsuit said it progressed to Harper's kissing, inappropriate touching, and even rape
in one incident.
The plaintiff seeks "special and general damages in an amount to be proven at trial."
The approximately 60-member church is believed to have been founded around 1980 at Harper's home at 3525 Arvick Road.
No hearings have yet been scheduled in the lawsuit.
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