Girl coerced by Pentecostal pastor: lawsuit
Sep 25, 2009 - 12:18 PM
By Jeff Mitchell
OSHAWA -- A former parishioner is suing her Oshawa church, claiming she was coerced into sex as a teenager by a youth pastor.
In a statement of claim filed in mid-September, Sarah Parsons, now 23, alleges she was victimized by the pastor, Brian Andrew Klein, of Whitby, between 2002 and 2004. She is also suing King Street Pentecostal Church, claiming the administration was negligent in failing to prevent the abuse. Also named as a defendant is Sarah Klein, Brian Klein's wife.
The suit seeks damages from the parties amounting to $2.3 million. Mr. Klein was never charged criminally and the allegations in the lawsuit have not been proven in court.
Mr. Klein responded to requests for comment through lawyer James Round.
"My clients have no comment to make at this time except to say they vigorously deny the allegations that have been made and will be delivering a formal defence shortly," Mr. Round said.
Dave Larmour, lead pastor at King Street Pentecostal, couldn't be reached for comment. Associate pastor Joel Spiridigliozzi said in a brief telephone interview that the claims in the suit are alleged to have occurred several years ago, when the current church administration wasn't in place.
"The staff in our church now was not present at that time," he said.
The suit alleges that Ms. Parsons, who began attending the church in 1995 when she was nine, became involved in programs led by Mr. Klein, the youth pastor at the time. It's alleged that in 2002, shortly after her 16th birthday, the youth pastor kissed the girl. A month after that a sexual relationship began and continued for two years "on a regular, sometimes daily basis", the suit alleges.
The suit claims that Sarah Klein, along with church administration, knew or ought to have known about the incidents and had a responsibility to prevent them from occurring.
Ms. Parsons was victimized by a pastor whose authority she trusted and deferred to, the statement of claim says. The young woman continues to suffer from anxiety and a number of other manifestations of the alleged abuse, said her lawyer, Simona Jellinek.
"Over all, the impact this has had on her life has been profound," Ms. Jellinek said. "She's coping. That's probably the best word for it."
Ms. Parsons no longer lives in Durham Region.
None of the defendants have yet filed statements of defence.
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