The Houston Chronicle—who has been tracking widespread incidents of sexual misconduct, abuse and cover-ups within the Southern Baptist Convention—has published another disturbing piece about a high-profile SBC figure.
Paige Patterson is the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and was removed from his leadership position at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary after a former student came forward and outlined the ways she was treated after telling school officials that she had been raped by a classmate on multiple occasions.
Now, she is suing Patterson for how she was treated, and the lawsuit contains some truly disturbing details about Patterson’s alleged behavior.
The student—identified as “Jane Roe” in the lawsuit—described being stalked, harassed, assaulted and raped at gunpoint by the classmate. She also says the man repeatedly threatened her and took graphic photos of her while he raped her. When she reported the assaults to Patterson she says he asked for “lurid and graphic details” about the assaults.
When the seminary’s chief security officer sent a message to Patterson saying he wanted to attend a meeting between the two, Patterson reportedly responded, “Well we will see. I have to break her down and I may need no official types there but let me see.” She also outlined the ways he repeatedly intimidated her and humiliated her. He also accused her of lying about the rapes.
The alleged attacker was expelled from the school after police found numerous guns in his room, but because of the repeated threats he had made against her Roe was too afraid to press charges against him. She says the man would brag about his violent past.
Here’s how the Houston Chronicle describes one meeting between her family and Patterson: “When Roe’s mother asked Patterson why Doe [the alleged attacker] had been allowed to enroll at the seminary despite his alleged criminal past, Patterson ‘lunged across the table, firmly pointed his finger in her face and threatened to ‘unleash’ lawyers on her if she dared question his leadership, the suit says.”
The 35-page lawsuit was unsealed this week.
