Amidst claims of sexual misconduct in a new lawsuit, the president of the Missouri State Board of Education, Rev. S.A., has resigned his position as he works to defend himself, as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other media outlets.
In his letter of resignation Rev. S.A. wrote, "While I had hoped to avoid such actions, the recent lawsuit filed against me and our church family has the potential to cause distraction from our endless efforts to allow Missouri's educational system to the among the top in the nation."
Rev. S.A. was appointed to the board by then Gov. Matt Blunt in 2006 and only recently began serving as its president this month.
The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, claims that the sexual misconduct occurred during the time that Rev. S.A. served as pastor in a Kansas City's Christian Fellowship Baptist Church. Both Rev. S.A. and the church are named as defendants in the suit.
The suit alleges that Rev. S.A. abused a teen girl, beginning in 2006 when she was 15 years-old and saw him for counseling.
Rev. S.A. claims that the lawsuit is the result of angry church members that are after money from the church and want to damage his reputation.
During the counseling sessions the plaintiff, Jane Doe, claims that she was instructed by Rev. S.A. to see him as a father figure. He then told her to tell him if she had engaged in sex, and upon hearing that she had, began discussing tips, sexual positions and his own anatomy.
Doe reported that he wanted her to be promiscuous, and then to report back to him as to how those encounters went. When Doe spoke with him, often via Skype, she claimed that he masturbated at times while listening to her. He also allegedly told the victim that he used to be a pimp and "if she had been born back in the day, he would have made her his."
The complaint further details that by the time the victim was either 17 or 18 Rev. S.A. began buying her presents, paying for her rent and giving her money.
An earlier sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against Rev. S.A. claimed that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a former assistant, who was also a member of his church. The suit states that he used his position to take advantage of the woman, and he counseled her.
Both suits name the church for its failure in protecting the women from Rev. S.A. and that the church knew he had previous claims of impropriety made against him.
Michael McCausland, Rev. S.A.'s attorney said, "These allegations are false, and we expect Reverend (S.A.) and the Church to ultimately be vindicated."
Rev. S.A. founded the church in 1989, he is married and has three children.
If you have been sexually abused by a member of the clergy contact a personal injury lawyer for help. Filing a lawsuit is the first step in gaining a monetary award for your own pain and suffering.