Gateway Church and founder Robert Morris move their retirement dispute to arbitration after Morris served jail time for child sexual abuse, as legal battles continue
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Gateway Church and its founding pastor, Robert Morris, have moved their legal dispute over his retirement package out of court and into arbitration, according to Morris’ attorney.
The change comes less than two months after Morris finished a six-month jail sentence in Osage County on child sexual abuse charges.
In a statement to WFAA, Morris’ lawyer Bill Mateja said, “The parties have reached agreement on an appropriate forum to resolve their dispute and will now proceed in that forum and not in state court. Thus, the state court proceeding was dismissed.”
WFAA also reached out to Gateway Church for comment and is awaiting to hear back.
Tarrant County court documents show Morris’ attorneys argued he was owed more than $1 million in his retirement account and additional retirement benefits estimated at $600,000 to $800,000. Morris’ arbitration also sought to obtain the intellectual property rights to books he authored, recorded sermons, social media accounts tied to the pastor, the domain addresses pastorrobert.com and PSRobert.com.
The church pushed back in a May 2025 filing, saying that amid the turmoil Morris had caused at Gateway and in the community, he was focused on securing his financial future.
The dispute is not the only legal battle involving Morris and Gateway. Morris, his wife Debbie, the church, current and former elders, and a church staff member are also named in a $1 million defamation lawsuit filed in Dallas County by Cindy Clemishire and her father. That case is now under review by the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas.
Gateway is also facing a federal lawsuit from its insurance company and a class-action suit from former members who allege the church misused millions in donations. The church has denied those accusations.
Cindy Clemishire, who was 12 when Morris began abusing her, previously called the sentence “too short,” but said, “It was the alternative to going through years of a trial potentially, and taking more of my time and more of my energy.”
Recently, she’s been pushing legislation, including the Cindy Clemishire Act in Oklahoma, aimed at protecting children and survivors of sexual abuse. The legislation seeks to eliminate criminal statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse cases and to prevent the use of nondisclosure agreements in settlements.
Clemishire has also supported Trey’s Law in Texas and Georgia, testifying before state legislatures to help expand protections for survivors nationwide.