Civil complaints against the embattled leadership of MorningStar Ministries – a Fort Mill, South Carolina-based congregation – and two of its former youth group volunteers will move forward after a judge denied a joint motion to dismiss these cases earlier this week.
The lawsuits, filed on behalf of three victims and their parents, provided details on nearly two dozen instances in which the three unnamed minors zwere sexually assaulted by Erickson Lee, a youth leader at the congregation.
Lee – a police officer and U.S. Marine – pleaded guilty in September 2024 and was sentenced to nine years in prison for multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, first-degree assault and battery and dissemination of obscene material to a minor. He is currently serving time at an undisclosed location in the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) system.
According to prosecutors, Lee engaged in a pattern of systemic grooming that began with him providing alcohol and vapes for the minors under his direction. He then provided them with pornography. After having acclimated them to these prohibited items and associated behaviors, he isolated the victims and sexually assaulted them.
Apart from the grooming and isolation of his victims, details vary as to the individual assaults. Some of the victims were made to share accommodations with the group leader – or sleep in the same bed with him naked. One victim reported being handcuffed and tased by Lee. On a trip to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, group members were plied with alcohol beyond the point of drunkenness, then were made to undress and shower together as Lee observed.
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At a December 2024 court hearing, MorningStar attorneys argued the religious organization could not be considered negligent for failing to train or supervise Lee. However, circuit court judge Martha Rivers rejected this argument – concluding the plaintiffs made “a viable claim for negligent supervision.”
Rivers’ ruling (.pdf) declined to make any findings related to the facts of the case, but noted plaintiffs “properly alleged each element required by South Carolina law for each of the causes of action included in their complaint.”
John Doe #1 was just twelve years old when his family moved to Fort Mill, S.C. in 2018. He became involved with Youth Special Forces – a newly developed MorningStar program which adopted military-style iconography and jargon in the name of leadership training for tween and teen boys. The church leadership chose Lee – son of MorningStar’s security chief Douglas Lee – as the leader of this new “ministry.”
“Erickson Lee was portrayed as a U.S. Marine and aspiring law enforcement officer with a passion for training boys to become the next generation of leaders,” the order stated. “However, plaintiffs allege he had no training or experience in leading a program like YSF and no business being alone with young boys.”
The complaint asserted MorningStar and its leaders had the “right or power to direct and control” staff members like Lee. It further claimed the church, its leadership and others conspired to prevent Lee’s sexual misconduct from being discovered by law enforcement and others within the organization. Specifically, it argued Lee – along with his assistant Chase Portello – attempted to intimidate victims as they prepared to report the assaults to MorningStar leaders.
The complaint further cited a pattern of alleged interference at MorningStar, claiming its leaders — including Rick Joyner, Davis Yarnes, and Douglas Lee — historically prevented victims of sexual abuse from reporting crimes to authorities. These allegations distinguished the negligence-based claims from the conspiracy claims. While the former focused on failures in training, supervision, and policy enforcement (which allegedly contributed to the sexual assaults), the latter addressed MorningStar’s alleged post-incident efforts to conceal the misconduct and shield the perpetrator.
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RELATED | THE MORNINGSTAR SAGA
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The plaintiffs argued MorningStar and its leadership acted “recklessly or intentionally” in causing severe emotional distress when it failed to protect the victim – and when it further engaged in a post-incident intimidation campaign to prevent the truth from coming to light, per the claim.
The recklessness and gross negligence claims do not challenge MorningStar’s religious teachings, doctrinal positions, or worship practices. Rather, they assert that the organization failed institutionally by placing an inadequately trained individual in charge of teenage boys during multiple overnight trips — despite the history of a culture of sexual abuse within the organization. The plaintiffs further alleged MorningStar continued to provide Lee with unsupervised access to YSF participants even as evidence of his misconduct grew.
Accordingly, the complaint contended MorningStar and its leaders were negligent in training and supervising Erickson, implementing proper policies, and failing to protect vulnerable youth entrusted to its care.
In addition to determining that these cases could move forward, Rivers also rebuked MorningStar’s attempt to assert “ecclesiastical doctrine” – referring to the separation of church and state.
“The ecclesiastical doctrine does not bar claims alleging defendants facilitated and overlooked sexual assaults of a teenage boy,” Rivers wrote.
Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised of the latest developments related to this unfolding legal drama…
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THE ORDER…
(S.C. Sixteenth Judicial Circuit)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters.’ Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.
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1 comment
Morningstar, your legal and moral obligation is to prevent this type of (felony) abuse and to immediately stop it and report it when detected. There is no “ecclesiastical doctrine” that would support any other option. If you’re not clear on why this is, I refer you to Romans 13: 1-7 “13 Every [a]person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except [b]from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore [c]whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for [d]good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.