Lawsuit alleging IHOPKC leaders didn’t act in sexual harassment of boy is settled
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Settlement resolves 2024 lawsuit accusing IHOPKC leaders of inaction.
- Plaintiff alleges repeated abuse at 2023 youth retreat and leadership failures.
- Settlement terms kept confidential; plaintiff and family relieved, focused on healing.
A lawsuit filed last year alleging that leaders of the International House of Prayer-Kansas City failed to take action when a minor boy was sexually harassed, abused and bullied at a youth retreat in Oklahoma in 2023 has been settled.
A settlement hearing on the case was held Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court, with a judgment entered on Monday, court records show.
“Our client and the family are relieved that the claims against IHOPKC have been fully settled,” said Boz Tchividjian, a Florida attorney who represented the plaintiff. “He is thankful that he was able to come forward and be heard.
“With this chapter now closed, he is focused on continuing to heal and moving ahead with his life.”
Tchividjian said the terms of the settlement are confidential.
IHOPKC’s executive director, Joseph Taylor, did not respond Monday to a request for comment.
The lawsuit, filed in November 2024 by an adult on behalf of the minor, named as defendants IHOPKC and its umbrella organization, the International House of Prayer-Forerunner Christian Fellowship. It has been the only personal injury case filed against IHOPKC since a sex abuse scandal involving founder Mike Bickle erupted in October 2023.
Tchividjian told The Star when the lawsuit was filed that the alleged abuse occurred at a youth retreat the minor attended on the same weekend that allegations against Bickle became public.
“While at the retreat, our client was victimized by another student and immediately reported the abuse to church leaders,” Tchividjian said. “Tragically, the church leaders failed to take action, allowing the same student to victimize our client a second time.”
He said the incident “highlights IHOPKC’s systemic failures in preventing and addressing abuse, causing profound harm to untold numbers of victims while empowering untold numbers of offenders.”
Details of lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, the minor, a Missouri resident who was 15 years old at the time, attended a fall youth retreat sponsored by IHOPKC-Forerunner Christian Fellowship at Sky Ranch in Quapaw, Oklahoma, between Oct. 27 and Oct. 29, 2023.
The retreat, the suit said, was advertised as “a weekend where our teens can have fun, encounter the Lord, and connect with their friends and leaders.”
At the retreat, the lawsuit said, the minor was subjected to sexual harassment and abuse by another minor who also was attending the event. It said the perpetrator tried multiple times to enter the bathroom stall while the plaintiff was using it; yelled the plaintiff’s name in a taunting tone whenever he saw the plaintiff and rubbed his hands together “while giving a disturbing smile”; and walked up behind the plaintiff and gently stroked his arm, back and neck, making the plaintiff feel “incredibly uncomfortable.”
The suit said the perpetrator also walked up behind the plaintiff during a worship event and caressed his buttocks, then “proceeded to stick his finger in between Minor Plaintiff’s butt cheeks through his pants,” causing the plaintiff emotional distress.
“IHOPKC/FCF leaders were aware that Minor Perpetrator had a history of concerning sexual and abusing behavior towards other minors prior to allowing Minor Perpetrator to go on this trip,” the lawsuit said.
As the bullying and abuse “grew more brazen and severe,” the suit alleged, the plaintiff repeatedly reported the conduct to the leaders. The leaders witnessed several of the perpetrator’s acts of bullying and abuse toward the plaintiff and promised him they would address the matter, it said, but they did not intervene.
As a result of those acts, the lawsuit said, “Minor Plaintiff has suffered, and will continue to suffer emotional and psychological harm, embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation; and/or has incurred and will continue to incur expenses for psychological treatment, therapy, and counseling.”
The lawsuit sought a jury trial and unspecified damages.
Allegations against IHOPKC founder
The lawsuit was filed as a third-party investigation was underway into allegations of sexual misconduct at IHOPKC and a cover-up by its leaders.
The allegations against Bickle were made public in October 2023, leading IHOPKC to “immediately, formally and permanently separate” from him and causing upheaval in the charismatic prayer movement. Bickle was accused of using prophecies to groom, sexually abuse and manipulate women over multiple decades, one starting when she was just 14.
Bickle, 69, issued his only public statement on Dec. 12, 2023, admitting that he had “sinned” and “my moral failures were real.” But he was vague on details. In a lengthy note posted on X, Bickle said his “inappropriate behavior” occurred more than 20 years ago, but he did not admit to engaging in any sexual misconduct.
The results of the third-party investigation were released in February, finding that Bickle committed sexual abuse or misconduct against 17 women — including minors — over decades, amid a thriving culture of systematic abuse and cover-ups.
It also found that some members of IHOPKC’s Executive Leadership Team “were more focused on suppressing and minimizing reports of sexual abuse, misconduct, and rape rather than supporting the victims or staff who reported these incidents.”
