CALIFORNIA
KEYT
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –
A Santa Barbara judge is expected to hand down a decision in a civil lawsuit involving the Presbyterian Church.
Two women and a teenage girl are suing leaders of the Presbytery of Santa Barbara located in Goleta.
They accuse church officials of covering up their sexual abuse at the hands of former Carpinteria youth pastor Louis Bristol in 2012 and 2013.
The victims are not only seeking monetary damages, they want the church to be more transparent.
“My clients want the public to know every instance where a Presbyterian Church leader has learned of a sexual abuse of a child by another church leader but has failed to report it to law enforcement,” Hale said. “Conversely, the Presbyterian Church and their attorney’s are fighting to keep that information secret and out of the public eye.”
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