May 22, 2022
By Joseph Sauder

Sauder Schelkopf is investigating allegations of sexual misconduct within the Southern Baptist Convention churches. It has been alleged that national leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention mishandled reports of sexual abuse.

On May 22, 2022, The Washington Post reported in part:

Leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention on Sunday released a major third-party investigation that found that sex abuse survivors were often ignored, minimized and “even vilified” by top clergy in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

The findings of nearly 300 pages include shocking new details about specific abuse cases and shine a light on how denominational leaders for decades actively resisted calls for abuse prevention and reform.

On May 24, 2022, The Washington Post reported in part:

Two days after an explosive report concluded that its leaders mishandled and covered up sex abuse claims, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention said at a public meeting Tuesday that they would release names from a list of alleged abusers they kept secretly for years. They also said that they owe abuse survivors an apology and that the huge denomination must fundamentally change its culture.

A six-part Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News reported that:

In the past 20 years, a disturbing number of Southern Baptists with formal church roles have engaged in sexual misconduct, a new investigation by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News reveals. They were pastors. Deacons. Youth pastors. They left behind more than 700 victims.

Read May 15, 2022, Guidepost Report of the Independent Investigation here

Read the Report published by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

The Report concludes in part:

For far too long boys, girls, men and women have lined our SBC pews silently bearing the scars of sexual abuse. Most church leaders were unaware of the suffering of their most vulnerable, some knew and turned a blind eye, and a few leaders perpetrated the evil themselves.

Related News

Southern Baptists ready to put spotlight on sex-abuse crisis

Southern Baptist leaders release sex abuser database they kept secret for years

These allegations have not been proven in court.

Experience Matters

Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized sexual misconduct practice. The firm’s attorneys have represented survivors of clergy sexual abuse in dioceses throughout the country. Our firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country. The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $500 million on behalf of their clients and class members. Our attorneys have been recognized by LawDragon in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022.  This list notes: “From the opioid epidemic to toxic substances and defective products, truck accidents to wildfires and sexual abuse, these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice.” Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlighted Mr. Sauder’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by our peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania.  Our attorneys have also been  selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania

Sexual Abuse

  • Sauder Schelkopf, and co-counsel, recently reached a $215 million settlement on behalf of female patients of Dr. George Tyndall, a gynecologist at the University of Southern California accused of sexual misconduct since the 1990s.
  • We have represented survivors of clergy sexual abuse in dioceses throughout the country.
  • We have a lawsuit pending on behalf of males who were victims of sexual misconduct by Dr. Richard Strauss, the Ohio State team doctor, while they were students and student-athletes at Ohio State University.
  • We recently announced a landmark class action settlement in which the University of Michigan agreed to “major institutional reforms.” It was alleged that UofM’s longtime employment of a predatory former sports doctor evidenced a toxic environment where students face an increased risk of sexual violence in violation of Title IX. The settlement comes after widespread allegations by over 1000 survivors of sexual misconduct by Dr. Robert E. Anderson, former director of University Health Service, and a former athletic team physician, who worked at the University of Michigan from 1968 until his retirement in 2003.

We Want to Hear from You

If you are a survivor of sexual abuse, you can confidentially contact the lawyers at Sauder Schelkopf by filling out the form on this page or calling 888.711.9975