TENNESSEE
Jackson Sun
Family claims First Baptist Church of Bemis was negligent, seeks more than $2M in lawsuit over sexual abuse
Written by
Nichole Manna
The family of a girl who was molested by a member of First Baptist Church of Bemis in 2009 is suing the church for negligence because the church allowed the man to volunteer at the Vacation Bible School during which the incident occurred, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The suit, filed in Madison County Circuit Court, seeks $2 million in compensatory damages plus punitive damages, medical expenses and any other costs the court deems proper. The family is asking for a jury trial.
The law firm of Farmer, Jaffe, Weissing, Edwards, Fistos & Lehrman in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla, filed the suit on behalf of the family. The lawsuit does not identify the girl but instead uses the name Jane Doe because of the allegations of sexual abuse.
The church’s current pastor, Brother John Norvell, said the church did not have a comment to make at this time.
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