Robert Morris' accuser, Cindy Clemishire, testifies at the Texas Capitol in Austin: 'He abused me'

The woman at the center of the abuse case involving former Gateway Church founder Robert Morris testified Wednesday at the Texas Capitol in Austin, days after Morris turned himself in to Oklahoma authorities on child sexual abuse charges.

Wednesday, March 19th 2025, 1:40 pm

By: CBS News


The woman at the center of the abuse case involving former Gateway Church founder Robert Morris testified Wednesday at the Texas Capitol in Austin, days after Morris turned himself in to Oklahoma authorities on child sexual abuse charges.

Cindy Clemishire testified on behalf of a bill involving abuse victims and a civil court agreement.

MORE COVERAGE: Texas megachurch founder indicted on multiple counts of lewd or indecent acts with child

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

Clemishire, now 55, said she was 12 years old when Morris abused her

She was joined in Austin by a Dallas-based crime advocate pushing for a bill called Trey's Law. It focuses on non-disclosure agreements and would abolish agreements in cases involving sexual abuse and trafficking civil cases. 

Clemishire spent about an hour testifying Wednesday morning, according to a CBS News Texas crew at the hearing. She talked about the ongoing criminal case against Morris as well. 

MORE COVERAGE: Robert Morris charged by grand jury with sexually abusing a child in the 1980s

Gateway Church's Robert Morris faces charges in Oklahoma

Morris, 63, was booked into the Osage County Sheriff's Office at 7:57 a.m. on Monday. By 8:11 a.m., just 14 minutes later, he had posted a $50,000 bond and was released, according to jail records. 

Morris, the former founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, a Dallas suburb, turned himself in after being charged last week with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office.

CBS News Texas typically does not name individuals who report being sexually assaulted, but Clemishire said she wanted her name included.

The hearing continued through the afternoon hours.

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