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	Girls Sue Church, Allege Sex Abuse By Greg Moran San Diego Union-Tribune May 11, 2010 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/11/girls-sue-church-allege-sex-abuse/ Two girls filed suit Monday against Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church, alleging they were sexually molested by a youth choir teacher there. The lawsuit contends that church administrators knew of complaints against the former teacher, contending he had sexually abused other minor girls in the choir. The suit says the church did not take steps to shield children from the teacher or warn parents about the allegations. The church at one point fired the man, Gregory Starkey, but then rehired him, according to the suit. The suit seeks unspecified damages. It was filed under a provision of state law that allows the plaintiffs to remain anonymous and they are identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. In a statement released through its attorney, the church said it in "no way contributed to these alleged instances of abuse." Jane Doe 1 is now 17 and Jane Doe 2 is 18, but according to the suit, she was a minor when the abuse allegedly occurred at the hands of Starkey, who is now 27. Starkey pleaded guilty last year to a charge of sexual abuse and was sentenced to probation and required to register as a sex offender, said Irwin Zalkin, the attorney for the girls. The suit said the church had received complaints that Starkey had sexual contact with young girls as early as 2004. That apparently led to his firing, but he was subsequently rehired, according to the suit. Zalkin said that in addition to those previous complaints about Starkey, a second choir worker also had been accused of sexually assaulting two other choir girls. The suit said the church had the unnamed second choir worker apologize to the victims, but did not report the allegations or institute any policies that addressed the issue of sexual abuse of minors by church workers. "They didn't do anything about it," said Zalkin, who also represented scores of people who filed claims against the Catholic Church alleging abuse by priests. "They just minimized it." The two plaintiffs who filed the suit allege they were molested in 2008. That was several years after the unreported incidents with the other choir director allegedly occurred. The church's statement said it took the allegations seriously but said it would not comment on specific allegations. That should not be interpreted as any admission of fact or that the church condones the activity, the statement said.
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