Federal Way Megachurch Faces Financial, Sexual-Abuse Suit
Federal Way, Washington -- On the heels of a sexual-harassment lawsuit that was recently settled against megachurch Christian Faith Center, a local attorney is gearing up to file another suit.
The suit, which attorney Joan Mell plans to file next week, will include allegations of sexual harassment, exploitation, abuse of authority, and financial corruption against former and current Christian Faith Center pastors, as well as founder and senior pastor Casey Treat and his wife, Wendy.
“The Treat enterprise is a personal for-profit enterprise or business disguised as a church,” Mell told the Federal Way Mirror during an interview at her office with the plaintiffs in the soon-to-be-filed case. “It’s really the Treat’s personal enterprise and that includes exploiting … the women and men of the church for purely personal self-gratification.”
Plaintiffs in the case include Leslie Massey, also the plaintiff in the sexual-harassment case against Treat and the church, which settled for an undisclosed amount on Oct. 9. In that case Massey claimed that Treat’s son, Caleb Treat, who was a pastor there, had sexually harassed her and other female employees and church members. The other two plaintiffs in the upcoming case include former church members Janet and Kelly Russell, who claim that another campus pastor sexually assaulted Janet.
Read more: http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/families-speak-out-as-federal-way-megachurch-faces-financial-sexual-abuse-suit/