RICHMOND (VA)
WVEC-TV, ABC-13 [Hampton VA]
April 9, 2025
By Hannah Eason Amado
Two sisters are suing a Virginia church, claiming leaders ignored sexual abuse by a now-convicted youth group assistant.
RICHMOND, Va. — Two sisters have filed multi-million dollar lawsuits against a Virginia Baptist church, claiming the church leaders did not stop sexual abuse by a youth group assistant.
The women claim the abuse took place between 2006 and 2009, beginning when the women were 6 and 10 years old. Gerald R. Thomas, a now-convicted sex offender, is accused of grooming and sexually assaulting the girls on an almost weekly basis during church youth programs.
The youth group operated at Bethany Place Baptist Church in North Chesterfield. It was acquired by Coastal Church, LLC in 2023 and was rebranded as Coastal Church – Bethany Campus.
The church has multiple locations in Hampton Roads, including Chesapeake, Gloucester, Hampton, Williamsburg and Yorktown. Court documents list the church as being based in Yorktown.
The sisters, who were not identified in court documents, said they were assaulted for years on church property and “often in full view of other staff and volunteers,” according to a statement from the sisters’ attorneys.
“Despite multiple red flags and direct observations by Bethany Place leadership, no meaningful action was taken to protect the girls or remove Thomas from access to children,” the statement said.
The sisters claim that church leaders and volunteers witnessed Thomas engage in inappropriate behavior, including isolating the girls and inappropriately touching them in public settings.
The lawsuits claim no internal reports were filed, and no steps were taken to remove Thomas.
Thomas was arrested and charged in 2010 after one of the sisters reported the abuse to her school counselor, which prompted a mandatory investigation. He pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual battery in 2010 in cases involving both sisters, according to the sisters’ legal counsel.
Thomas was found guilty in 2020 of abusing a third underage victim.
Bethany Place is accused of failing to implement protective policies, such as proper adult-to-child ratios, background checks, and prevention of one-on-one interactions between adults and children. The lawsuit claims the incidents came after warnings and national guidelines issued by the Southern Baptist Convention and the Centers for Disease Control.
The lawsuits are demanding accountability on five claims: assault and battery, gross negligence and reckless disregard, breach of duty (including from a custodial relationship), negligent retention and vicarious liability.
Each sister is seeking $50 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages, citing years of emotional trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder. They also claim a loss of quality of life and earning capacity.