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	New Tribes Mission Sued for Alleged Sexual Abuse Cover-Up Stephanie Coueignoux May 9, 2011 http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/may/241733/New-Tribes-Mission-sued-for-alleged-sexual-abuse-cover-up SANFORD -- New Tribes Mission, a Sanford-based mission organization, is being sued for allegedly covering up sexual abuse. The civil lawsuit was filed Monday in the Seminole County Circuit Court. A Miami-based law firm filed the suit on behalf of "Jane Doe," a female adult who said a former mission director sexually abused her and other children for years. According to the lawsuit, the abuse took place in the Philippines from 1984 to 1993, beginning when the victim was 8 years old. The suit said at the time, the man accused of the sexual abuse, Leslie Emory, was a "Dorm Dad." His role was to take care of a dormitory full of children. The suit goes on to say Emory even admitted to abusing 23 children, including Doe, but mission executives hid the list from both the victims and government officials. Mission executives eventually reassigned Emory to a church in Virginia. "Instead of making that public and getting all of these kids help, they covered it up," defense attorney Jeff Herman told News 13. Herman said the cover-up goes beyond the mission where Emory worked. "We believe a number of kids were abused, not only in the Philippines, but in other locations around the world," Herman said. Doe is now an adult living in South Florida. Herman said his client tried to come forward before, but nothing was done. She feels her only option is to sue. Since this is a civil lawsuit, Doe is seeking monetary compensation. Herman said he doesn't have a set amount in mind. He's hoping more victims will come forward now that the lawsuit has been filed. News 13 called New Tribes Mission headquarters. We were told the spokeswoman is out of town for the next few days, but would comment when she returned. A 2010 investigation by the group Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) reported dozens of children were abused in the 1980s. In September, New Tribes Mission admitted to the abuse and apologized. In 2008, a former missionary faced federal charges for having child porn. Meanwhile, back in 1993, three New Tribes Mission members were kidnapped in Colombia. U.S. officials said the men were killed by their captors three years later.
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