According to the lawsuit, the school employed Suggs from around July 2003 until around May 2016. The suit alleges that Sugg met the victim in September 2014 a few weeks after the victim began to attend the school and Sugg quickly “ingratiated herself into Jane Doe’s life under the guise of faith-based mentorship.” The victim met Sugg after the teacher spoke to the school’s upper-school students during chapel about her own experience as a victim of child sexual abuse and her willingness to help any students with similar struggles, according to court documents. The lawsuit alleges that Sugg used her...

In keeping with nationwide trends, the Kentucky legislature extended the time period in which child sex abuse survivors can bring civil lawsuits and allowed that their lawsuits can be asserted not only against perpetrators, but also against institutions that fail to protect children. Under these new laws, Samantha Killary pursued her lawsuit for childhood sexual abuse against a Louisville police officer and also against Louisville Metro for “employing and empowering” him. The case is now pending before the Kentucky Supreme Court, with arguments about the validity of the new laws. Into this case, the Southern Baptist Convention...

A brief filed earlier this year by lawyers for the Executive Committee, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Lifeway, an SBC publisher, argues that a Kentucky law that changed the statute of limitations for making civil claims over abuse—and allowing survivors to sue third parties such as churches or police—should not be applied retroactively.

Investigators also said 34-year-old Stephen Ayon sought out minors through messaging mobile applications. According to an affidavit for probable cause filed on Monday in Hamilton County, Ayon has been charged with:  One count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors, a Level 6 felony One count of child solicitation, a Level 4 felony One count of child seduction, a Level 4 felony One count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 4 felony One count of promotion of child sex trafficking, a Level 3 felony One count of vicarious sexual gratification, a Level 5 felony - Ayon spoke...

- A former volunteer at a York, S.C., church has been sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to improperly touching a child while at church in 2021, according to court records and prosecutors. - Ira James Summerlin, 77, of York, pleaded guilty in York County criminal court Wednesday to third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, said prosecutor Misti Shelton, 16th Circuit assistant deputy solicitor. The crime happened in late January 2021 at Central Baptist Church where Summerlin was a volunteer in a childrens program, Shelton said. The church banned Summerlin from church property after...