After Robert Morris Pleads 'Not Guilty', Cindy Clemishire Testifies Before Texas Lawmakers

Cindy Clemishire, the woman at the center of the abuse case involving former Gateway Church founder Robert Morris, recently stood before lawmakers at the Texas Capitol to advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking. 

Her testimony came after Morris had pleaded "not guilty" to five charges of lewd or indecent acts with a child. Some of Morris's critics, like Dee Parsons, editor of The Wartburg Watch, see his plea as a sign of unrepentance. Clemishire offered her own take on the "not guilty" plea, using the word "criminal." "It did not surprise me," she told Christian Post. "It is my understanding any attorney would advise their client to plead not guilty. It gives the criminal the opportunity to negotiate a plea."

Now, Clemishire is moving ahead in her fight to protect the rights of victims. The 55-year-old testified at the Capitol in Austin last Wednesday to support a bill aimed at abolishing non-disclosure agreements (NDA) in cases involving sexual abuse and trafficking. 

"It wasn't until, even with years of counseling, that I could accept the term 'abuse,'" Clemishire said in her testimony. "I was 35 the first time I truly accepted and believed that [Morris] abused me and it was criminal."

She told lawmakers if she had to sign an NDA, she would not be able to pursue criminal charges against Morris.

As CBN News reported, the Gateway Church founder turned himself in to authorities at the Osage County Courthouse last Monday. But 14 minutes later, he was released after posting a $50,000 bond. 

Clemishire says Morris sexually abused her beginning in 1982 when she was just 12 years old. At the time, Morris was a traveling evangelist who was temporarily staying with Clemishire's family in Hominy, Oklahoma. The abuse allegedly continued for four years.

"After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child," Clemishire said in a statement. "Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable."

Morris, 63, resigned from Gateway Church last year, two days after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady." However, Clemishire rejects his characterization of what took place when she was just a child.

"It was a crime," she said. "I was a little girl."

Clemishire told CBN News it took years for her to fully grasp what she endured. "I was 12," she said. "I was not a teenager yet. And I told (adults what happened) when I was 17 — and it did go all the way through ... the full year of being 16."

Clemishire hired an Oklahoma attorney named Gentner Drummond to sue Morris in 2007 for $50,000 to cover the cost of her counseling, The Chron reports. 

However, she never received payment because she was unwilling to sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep the abuse a secret.

That's why Clemishire stood before Texas lawmakers last week to testify in favor of H.B. 748, or the Trey Carlock bill, that would eliminate non-disclosure agreements for survivors of sexual abuse in civil court agreements.

Carlock died by suicide six years ago and his sister, Elizabeth Carlock Phillips, believes it was due to the pressure to keep silent because of an NDA. 

"NDAs were created to protect things like the Coca-Cola recipe, not to protect pedophiles or the institutions that harbor them," Carlock Phillips explained.  

Clemishire told lawmakers she carried the same shame and baggage because of the abuse she endured but refused to sign the NDA. 

"I would never sign anything that gave my rights away to share my story," Clemishire told lawmakers.

She says that decision gave her the freedom to share her account when she felt ready. 

"Because I refused to sign the NDA at the age of 37, I am able to sit here, at the age of 55, and share my story, and be the voice for so many people who don't have the courage to come forward," Clemishire said. 

"I never would have been ready until now," she added. "I think it would have manipulated me into not speaking."

Drummond became Oklahoma's attorney general in 2023 and has advocated for the state's statute of limitations to be eliminated in rape cases.

"There was some improvement in Oklahoma statute last year, but General Drummond strongly believes a rapist should be held accountable for his or her actions regardless of the passage of time," the AG's spokesperson told The Chron.

Drummond's office was able to bring Clemishire's case against Morris before a multi-county grand jury because the statute of limitations in Oklahoma law doesn't apply to an individual who is neither a resident nor an inhabitant of the state. 

"The charges against Mr. Morris pertain to the law that existed during the time of the crimes," the spokesperson said. "Amendments to the law since that time are not retroactive."

If convicted, Morris faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge.

While Morris has remained silent since resigning, Clemishire says she wants to ensure justice is served—not just for herself but for others. "I do know I want to help other victims," she said. "I want people to be free of shame … It's a lifelong journey."

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