"Sex Object" Allegations Denied by Former Church Leader

By Paul Venema
KSAT
April 17, 2014

http://www.ksat.com/news/sex-object-allegations-denied-by-former-church-leader/25538804

[with video]

A woman who once worked for Douglas Phillips, a former elder in a Boerne church and president of Vision Forum Inc. a Christian home-schooling organization, has sued Phillips claiming he kept her as “his personal sex object."

Phillips has admitted having an extra-marital affair with the woman, Lourdes Torres-Manteufel, and has since stepped down from his role in the church and reduced his involvement with the home-schooling organization.

“The evidence, I’m sure, is going to exonerate Mr. Phillips,” his lawyer Jason Jakob said.

Jakob suggested that the lawsuit is simply about money.

“You’ve got somebody asking for $10 to $20 million dollars and who thinks that if nothing else they can ride this to a personal gain and be able to write books or whatever,” Jakob said.

The woman’s attorney, David Gibbs, insisted that money was not his client’s consideration.

“Doug and his wife are doing the usual ‘trash the victim routine’ that is tragically so unfortunate in sex abuse cases,” Gibbs said. “He used his teachings to fraudulently induce Lourdes to sexually serve him."

Both lawyers said there is still considerable legal legwork ahead. They predicted that it will likely be another year before the case goes to trial.