Woman Calls Pentecostal Pastor a Predator

By Jack Bouboushian
Courthouse News Service
December 3, 2012

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/12/04/52805.htm

CHICAGO (CN) - A Pentecostal church knew its pastor sexually abused minors but kept him on even after his wife divorced him for it, an alleged victim claims in court.

The plaintiff claims Pentecostal Tabernacle Bible Church Pastor Christopher L. Johnson pastor sexually abused her as a minor, after the church knew or should have known that he had fathered a child with another woman with whom he first had sexual relations when she was a minor.

Cecelia Brown sued Christopher Johnson, Chaun Johnson, Pentecostal Tabernacle Bible Church, New Testament Assemblies of Christ, New Life United Christian Ministries Worldwide Fellowship and Mission of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Cook County Court.

Brown, 19, claims the senior pastor at the four defendant churches, the Rev. Christopher Johnson (Johnson #1), sexually abused her while she was a minor and a parishioner at Pentecostal Tabernacle.

"On information and belief, Johnson #1 fathered a child with a woman other than plaintiff and not his wife with whom he began having sexual contact when she was still a minor and a member of Pentecostal and/or Lutheran, thus establishing a predator pattern of Johnson having committed aggravated criminal sexual abuse with minors," Brown says in the complaint.

"On information and belief, Johnson #2, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Assemblies, and New Life knew or had constructive knowledge of Johnson #1's prior sexual contact with at least one minor since Johnson #1's 2007 divorce from Yvette Johnson was caused in

part or in whole by the public revelation of Johnson #1 having had sexual contact with at least one other minor prior to Cecelia Brown." (Citation to divorce case omitted."

Brown claims the sexual abuse caused her "serious psychiatric and psychological injury including emotional distress injuries which have greatly interfered with her life as an adult."

She claims the assistant pastor at the defendant churches, the Rev. Chaun Johnson, Johnson #2, "allowed Johnson #1 to be left alone with the minor Cecelia Brown unsupervised." In so doing, he "failed to provide a safe environment at Pentecostal and/or Lutheran where members who were minors could be free from aggravated criminal sexual abuse by a pastor," Brown claims.

Brown seeks damages for negligence and emotional distress.

She is represented by Steven Denny.

(Page 3 of this 9-page complaint is missing in the copy provided by the court.)