SerpApi.Org
A lawsuit filed against former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson has been resolved, being jointly dismissed days before a trial was scheduled to begin.
In a court filing last Thursday, days before a trial, the two parties jointly agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning that the complaint cannot be refiled, reports The Dallas Morning News.
An unnamed former student identified in court records as Jane Roe had filed a lawsuit against Patterson and SWTBS in 2019, alleging that both failed to respond properly to her reports of being raped repeatedly and that they had defamed her.
“The Seminary has consistently denied any liability or wrongdoing, and the rulings in the case are a matter of public record,” stated SWTBS in a statement quoted by DMN. “We are thankful to put this chapter behind us and to remain focused on our mission.”
While the seminary had reportedly been dropped from the litigation last December, it was named as part of the joint dismissal in last Thursday’s court filing, reported DMN.
A former president of the SBC, Patterson played a leading role in the Conservative Resurgence, a movement that ousted theological liberals from positions of power in the denomination.
Patterson served as president of Southwestern Theological Baptist Seminary from 2003 until 2018, when he stepped down in part due to allegations of mishandling sexual abuse claims. Patterson has denied any wrongdoing.
In May 2019, Roe sued Patterson and SWBTS, claiming that they mistreated her when she alleged that she was being stalked and repeatedly raped by a male student in 2014 and 2015.
According to the complaint, when Roe met with Patterson and other male leaders at the seminary, Patterson “seemed to enjoy making Roe even more uncomfortable with his questions.”
When Roe said she felt like “damaged goods” due to the alleged assaults, she claimed Patterson replied it was “a good thing” she was assaulted, for “the right man would not care if she was a virgin or not.”
U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan ruled in March 2023 that Roe did not meet the standard of proof required to demonstrate that SWBTS and Patterson were negligent in preventing sexual abuse.
“The Court holds that Roe’s injuries at the hands of Doe were not foreseeable to SWBTS, even considering altogether the totality of [the male student's alleged] past criminal conduct,” Jordan said.
Jordan also wrote that after the first confirmed instance of Roe meeting with seminary leaders, “Patterson and SWBTS immediately notified local law enforcement authorities of Roe’s outcry, and Roe was interviewed by the Fort Worth Police Department.”
