Lourdes and Nolan marry - Lawsuit against DPIAT/R filed

[LittleOleMe]

I have read that tweet about 10 times now and it still doesn't make a lick of sense to me. At least it seems like it's not just me. right?

Translation: You need to show how much you love perverts by telling them that their actions prove how much they hate god. If you don't do that, then you hate the perverts and are therefore lukewarm in your feelings toward God, meaning you don't love him enough.

I forget where, but there is a biblical passage they use to justify this insanity.

[socalrules]

I am going to get reamed for this, but I would take the complaint with a grain of salt. I do not doubt that Doug Phillips acted inappropriately and took advantage of this young woman. Nor do I doubt that she was stuck in a position that, no matter what she did, she would be seen as committing some type of sin. I believe that she is a victim but I have this gut feeling that more happened or was going on there. A complaint does not always contain the complete truth. The facts are always massaged to get beyond the chance of a demurrer being successful. All you have to do is plead enough "facts" to meet the elements of each cause of action. A lot of the time, those "facts" are not true or just partially true. You always prepare a complaint to make your client appear as innocent as possible.

That being said, I would put money on this case being quietly settled and both sides signing a confidentiality agreement. No one wants a trial. It could be years before they make it to trial and extremely expensive. It will be hell for Hero and it is possible a jury will think she was just looking to get to the top by sleeping with a "powerful" man. We may see her as a victim but it may be harder to convince those that don't follow the happenings of this lifestyle like we do here. For Dougie, any more of this comes out and any chance he might have of reclaiming his throne may be completely gone. He needs this to go away quick. Someone mentioned insurance, it is always possible that any insurance policy may not cover this type of claim. You don't get coverage just because someone filed a lawsuit. Policies only cover certain things. If Doug does not have a policy that covers this, he will likely settle quick or go broke.

[darkplumaged]

I stopped following the Doug saga a while ago because there didn't seem to be any new dainty morsels to chew on, just a lot of backbiting--so wow, this comes as a surprise! I hope Hero and Nolan will have much happiness together, and even more so, I hope Doug's nasty little head is about to pop off. He is a disgusting person. I always knew something was off about him, always knew he was a megalomaniac and a charlatan, but I would not have guessed the depth of his depravity.

[CloakNDagger]

I am going to get reamed for this, but I would take the complaint with a grain of salt. I do not doubt that Doug Phillips acted inappropriately and took advantage of this young woman. Nor do I doubt that she was stuck in a position that, no matter what she did, she would be seen as committing some type of sin. I believe that she is a victim but I have this gut feeling that more happened or was going on there. A complaint does not always contain the complete truth. The facts are always massaged to get beyond the chance of a demurrer being successful. All you have to do is plead enough "facts" to meet the elements of each cause of action. A lot of the time, those "facts" are not true or just partially true. You always prepare a complaint to make your client appear as innocent as possible.

That being said, I would put money on this case being quietly settled and both sides signing a confidentiality agreement. No one wants a trial. It could be years before they make it to trial and extremely expensive. It will be hell for Hero and it is possible a jury will think she was just looking to get to the top by sleeping with a "powerful" man. We may see her as a victim but it may be harder to convince those that don't follow the happenings of this lifestyle like we do here. For Dougie, any more of this comes out and any chance he might have of reclaiming his throne may be completely gone. He needs this to go away quick. Someone mentioned insurance, it is always possible that any insurance policy may not cover this type of claim. You don't get coverage just because someone filed a lawsuit. Policies only cover certain things. If Doug does not have a policy that covers this, he will likely settle quick or go broke.

I would put money on it going to trial and I would be SHOCKED if the couple would be happy with a "confidentiality" agreement seeing is that confidentiality and silence has been so sought after by the defendants. My guess is that this is an all-or-nothing deal. Now that she's married, I doubt it will damage her ability to get married if she's accused of sleeping to the top and since Nolan's pretty much an outcast from even his family, it's likely that that isn't a big deal to either of them. I wonder how his family is taking this news. On the Tool's side, it looks like he is digging in based on that VF fB post, and my guess is that he's going to try to make her look like a sexual predator of some sort, not that there's any merit to that. He desperately wants to win this one it would appear.

[theologygeek]

I am going to get reamed for this, but I would take the complaint with a grain of salt. I do not doubt that Doug Phillips acted inappropriately and took advantage of this young woman. Nor do I doubt that she was stuck in a position that, no matter what she did, she would be seen as committing some type of sin. I believe that she is a victim but I have this gut feeling that more happened or was going on there. A complaint does not always contain the complete truth. The facts are always massaged to get beyond the chance of a demurrer being successful. All you have to do is plead enough "facts" to meet the elements of each cause of action. A lot of the time, those "facts" are not true or just partially true. You always prepare a complaint to make your client appear as innocent as possible.

Cult leaders are very influential over their followers. They're excellent at what they do, to adults included.

[Peas n carrots]

I would put money on it going to trial and I would be SHOCKED if the couple would be happy with a "confidentiality" agreement seeing is that confidentiality and silence has been so sought after by the defendants. My guess is that this is an all-or-nothing deal. Now that she's married, I doubt it will damage her ability to get married if she's accused of sleeping to the top and since Nolan's pretty much an outcast from even his family, it's likely that that isn't a big deal to either of them. I wonder how his family is taking this news. On the Tool's side, it looks like he is digging in based on that VF fB post, and my guess is that he's going to try to make her look like a sexual predator of some sort, not that there's any merit to that. He desperately wants to win this one it would appear.

David v. Goliath. Damn she is brave.

I'm very curious about The Coughlan's support of the Manteufels...can you comment on the relationship? Any knowledge of Perry's thoughts on Dougie as of late?

[Clementine]

Ms Hero really has ovaries of steel, what a brave lady!

I read the lawsuit yesterday and am just lost for words. I was naive enough to believe that there was actually some kind of romance involved, like the older and charismatic Doug seducing Hero: long private talks becoming more and more romantic and eventually some secret kissing and fondling. Not that it would be any less abusive, but still.

I didn't expect Doug to be a predator. This is a lot worse than I imagined.

This is not the first time Doug has done this. A first time abuser doesn't out of the blue sneak into a young womans bedroom (where was the rest of the family? asleep in the next room?) and start masturbating and ejaculate on her.

I really wonder what the male interns have experienced with Doug. A few years ago I read somewhere, can't remember if it was on FJ or somewhere else, that the more prominent fundie families wouldn't send their sons to intern at VF because it was "known" that Doug behaved inappropriate with his interns. Of course, this was an internet rumor so I can't say if it is true or not, but with the new information about Hero, it doesn't sound totally unbelievable.

I also wonder how much porn Doug is watching. Ejaculating on a woman's face is a rather... advanced form of sex and probably not something that a conservative christian man would have in his normal sexual repertoire, especially not someone from Doug's generation.

He must have gotten inspiration from somewhere.

I really, really feel sorry for the kids. This is beyond messy.

I also hope that Hero will heal from all this and will experience what a loving consentual sexual relationship between two adult equals can be like.

[marmalade]

I posted this on the Big Sandy thread, but it really needs to be here as well.

David Gibbs III needs to be researched more thoroughly. I have a feeling that it was his father, David Gibbs, Jr. who is defending Gothard (and speaking at Big Sandy next week), defended Schaap's church, and Terri Schaivo. Not sure what (if anything) DGIII had to do with any of these cases. However, he IS the one whose name is on LT's Complaint.

I'm going to bed now, but I fully expect this to be resolved by the time I get home from the gym.

Congrats to Lourdes and Nolan! I hope you can find happiness in the near future, and enjoy a blissful life together. Take Phillips to the cleaners.

[SoybeanQueen]

I would be happy to never, ever see a photo of DPIAT again after reading the lawsuit. *vomit*

[Chowder Head]

I just read the lawsuit. I just don't have words other than I hope they nail his ass to the wall.

[fuglyexfundy]

I am going to get reamed for this, but I would take the complaint with a grain of salt. I do not doubt that Doug Phillips acted inappropriately and took advantage of this young woman. Nor do I doubt that she was stuck in a position that, no matter what she did, she would be seen as committing some type of sin. I believe that she is a victim but I have this gut feeling that more happened or was going on there. A complaint does not always contain the complete truth. The facts are always massaged to get beyond the chance of a demurrer being successful. All you have to do is plead enough "facts" to meet the elements of each cause of action. A lot of the time, those "facts" are not true or just partially true. You always prepare a complaint to make your client appear as innocent as possible.

That being said, I would put money on this case being quietly settled and both sides signing a confidentiality agreement. No one wants a trial. It could be years before they make it to trial and extremely expensive. It will be hell for Hero and it is possible a jury will think she was just looking to get to the top by sleeping with a "powerful" man. We may see her as a victim but it may be harder to convince those that don't follow the happenings of this lifestyle like we do here. For Dougie, any more of this comes out and any chance he might have of reclaiming his throne may be completely gone. He needs this to go away quick. Someone mentioned insurance, it is always possible that any insurance policy may not cover this type of claim. You don't get coverage just because someone filed a lawsuit. Policies only cover certain things. If Doug does not have a policy that covers this, he will likely settle quick or go broke.

I can understand why you feel this way about the complaint. You bought up some valid points about insurance policies and settling. I doubt he'll willingly do that,not that he ultimately won't. Look at his prior legal bullying, to include Bradrick!

You also have a good point about the ability of a good attorney to craft a complaint to make their clients seem innocent. In this case, what would she have to gain by taking legal action? Opinions have been formed about her either way. I doubt she will see much money. She opens herself to even more scrutiny.

That said, I get why you feel this way. Different opinions make for better discussion ( for some). Hopefully, the courts will flush out the truth. I'm inclined to think the decisions will be in her favor. Either way, it's best to wait for a legal resolution.

[WonderingInWA]

Ms Hero really has ovaries of steel, what a brave lady!

I read the lawsuit yesterday and am just lost for words. I was naive enough to believe that there was actually some kind of romance involved, like the older and charismatic Doug seducing Hero: long private talks becoming more and more romantic and eventually some secret kissing and fondling. Not that it would be any less abusive, but still.

I didn't expect Doug to be a predator. This is a lot worse than I imagined.

This is not the first time Doug has done this. A first time abuser doesn't out of the blue sneak into a young womans bedroom (where was the rest of the family? asleep in the next room?) and start masturbating and ejaculate on her.

I really wonder what the male interns have experienced with Doug. A few years ago I read somewhere, can't remember if it was on FJ or somewhere else, that the more prominent fundie families wouldn't send their sons to intern at VF because it was "known" that Doug behaved inappropriate with his interns. Of course, this was an internet rumor so I can't say if it is true or not, but with the new information about Hero, it doesn't sound totally unbelievable.

I also wonder how much porn Doug is watching. Ejaculating on a woman's face is a rather... advanced form of sex and probably not something that a conservative christian man would have in his normal sexual repertoire, especially not someone from Doug's generation.

He must have gotten inspiration from somewhere.

I really, really feel sorry for the kids. This is beyond messy.

I also hope that Hero will heal from all this and will experience what a loving consentual sexual relationship between two adult equals can be like.

I wondered about that, too.

[Palimpsest]

I would put money on it going to trial and I would be SHOCKED if the couple would be happy with a "confidentiality" agreement seeing is that confidentiality and silence has been so sought after by the defendants. My guess is that this is an all-or-nothing deal. Now that she's married, I doubt it will damage her ability to get married if she's accused of sleeping to the top and since Nolan's pretty much an outcast from even his family, it's likely that that isn't a big deal to either of them. I wonder how his family is taking this news. On the Tool's side, it looks like he is digging in based on that VF fB post, and my guess is that he's going to try to make her look like a sexual predator of some sort, not that there's any merit to that. He desperately wants to win this one it would appear.

I'm going to use names from now on. Lourdes has come forward publicly and she has implied through CnD that she doesn't like our pseudonym for her.

Socalrules, I'm not going to ream you because I think you make very good points. The complaint is from one perspective only. I fully expect Doug to respond with a motion to dismiss, with every single point made in the complaint torn apart. How this will play in front of a jury is anyone's guess. I think the complaint did an excellent job of laying out the religious context, but will a jury understand how that made Lourdes so very vulnerable? I have always considered her to be the deeply wronged party and I don't doubt the contents of the complaint at all. I have argued time and time again that the responsibility lies solely with Doug, but will a jury see that when well-informed and intelligent posters at FJ wrestle with it?

While there is a lot of indignation here at the moment, I also expect some of the FJ posters who discussed Lourdes' hypothetical responsibility and culpability in the past (until I was bored to tears and lost my temper more than once!) but have changed their minds after reading the complaint, to flip-flop again once they see the response. It will be a rollercoaster ride and Doug's response will be a convincing attack on the Plaintiff. In a very sick way.

I agree with Katie Botkin: Some of what makes the complaint so very credible is my eyes is what Lourdes is not claiming. Katie said it so well that I'm simply going to quote her:

"Remembering that confident and hopeful woman, I almost cried reading the complaint. Which is definitely the first time I’ve ever been so moved reading a legal document, and I’ve read a fair number. Despite the claims of conflicting stories and the fact that I really don’t know her at all, the complaint rings very true to me. If Lourdes was merely out to play the victim, as some posit, she could have claimed Phillips assaulted her when she was underage, because she was frequently in his home when she was underage. She could have claimed he did other sexual things to her, or that he threatened her, or any number of things. But she didn’t. She’s outlining a very specific and a very believable train of events, given everything we know about Doug Phillips, the nature of sociopaths, the nature of power and sexuality, and all the rest of it." [my bolding]. kbotkin.com

Unlike Katie, I did cry. What Lourdes went through was even worse than I had anticipated.

CloakNDagger, I also agree with you. Doug has dug his heels in, wants his day in court and it is going to get very ugly. My hope is that he will hang himself in front of a jury because his arrogance and narcissism will sink his ship of lies. However, Lourdes will be portrayed as an immoral, social climbing, predatory money-grubber, and hung out to dry.

If I could send a direct message to Lourdes, I'd tell her that there is no shame in settling at any point if she can get terms that will satisfy her. That may or may not involve an open admission of guilt from Doug. I very much doubt that her motivation in this has anything to do with money. I think it has to do with exposing Doug and protecting other vulnerable young women. Only Lourdes can decide when she has found a settlement that satisfies her, and her courage thus far has impressed me greatly.

[CloakNDagger]

CloakNDagger, I also agree with you. Doug has dug his heels in, wants his day in court and it is going to get very ugly. My hope is that he will hang himself in front of a jury because his arrogance and narcissism will sink his ship of lies. However, Lourdes will be portrayed as an immoral, social climbing, predatory money-grubber, and hung out to dry.

If I could send a direct message to Lourdes, I'd tell her that there is no shame in settling at any point if she can get terms that will satisfy her. That may or may not involve an open admission of guilt from Doug. I very much doubt that her motivation in this has anything to do with money. I think it has to do with exposing Doug and protecting other vulnerable young women. Only Lourdes can decide when she has found a settlement that satisfies her, and her courage thus far has impressed me greatly.

I suspect so, too. It was always obvious that he like being around all of the pretty and sophisticated girls.

What's maddening is that the church (BCA) seems to be behaving as if Doug has done wrong, but is now the victim. He seems to have convinced several of them that he's now broke and is to be pitied for his misery. If that was true, it would surprise me because someone I know has been contacted by a private investigator working for him, and of course it looked like they were able to go to the Sproul wedding.

The narrative seems to be that they have never before seen such a viscous internet conspiracy to destroy a man and his business... as if all of the guys really had that in mind. I guarantee you that there was no such thing in mind, but they have to say something along those lines to keep the faithful who will not gossip under their influence. Some seem to think that they did the right thing, but the minute they let it go public they were in sin. Another family I've heard of even said in essence that because L didn't "cry out" publicly the first time, she lost the right to do so in the future or now. I know it's twisted, but that's how some of these folks think. I think that even if she was consensual for 3/4 of the time, the minute she realized it was wrong, and cried out, she was correct to do so. That is not a private matter, but like Tamar after Ammon had raped her in the Old Testament, she would go around in sackcloth and ashes and the matter would become publicly known.

It would almost be funny that they are making this kind of stuff up if it wasn't so far from the truth and hurtful to the ones who actually cared. Doug has forgotten the words of Scripture, - faithful are the woulds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I cant stop thinking about this. It is far worse than I expected it to be. I expected it to be him manipulating and seducing her into going along with it, with maybe a Bill Gothard level of touching, which is still disgusting and wrong, but this is just a whole new level of wrong. I knew Doug was a horrible, manipulative abuser, but he is also a rapist. It takes quite an evil person to force such degrading sexual acts on someone. Doug is evil. How could he do such a thing?

[Palimpsest]

I suspect so, too. It was always obvious that he like being around all of the pretty and sophisticated girls.

What's maddening is that the church (BCA) seems to be behaving as if Doug has done wrong, but is now the victim. He seems to have convinced several of them that he's now broke and is to be pitied for his misery. If that was true, it would surprise me because someone I know has been contacted by a private investigator working for him, and of course it looked like they were able to go to the Sproul wedding.

The narrative seems to be that they have never before seen such a viscous internet conspiracy to destroy a man and his business... as if all of the guys really had that in mind. I guarantee you that there was no such thing in mind, but they have to say something along those lines to keep the faithful who will not gossip under their influence. Some seem to think that they did the right thing, but the minute they let it go public they were in sin. Another family I've heard of even said in essence that because L didn't "cry out" publicly the first time, she lost the right to do so in the future or now. I know it's twisted, but that's how some of these folks think. I think that even if she was consensual for 3/4 of the time, the minute she realized it was wrong, and cried out, she was correct to do so. That is not a private matter, but like Tamar after Ammon had raped her in the Old Testament, she would go around in sackcloth and ashes and the matter would become publicly known.

It would almost be funny that they are making this kind of stuff up if it wasn't so far from the truth and hurtful to the ones who actually cared. Doug has forgotten the words of Scripture, - faithful are the woulds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

I'm sure Doug is doing a very good job of persuading people he is a victim of some vast conspiracy. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Also, the brainwashing runs deep. All this is twisted and hurtful I know. I'm also sure Doug still has plenty of money even if he is crying poverty.

You probably already know this, but no-one needs to be intimidated into speaking to Doug's PI. Doug is fishing for dirt at the moment and if a PI approaches anyone they can tell him to get lost. With prejudice. If Doug wants people's testimony in court he can bloody well go and get a subpoena to depose them! He will need to provide evidence that people have pertinent information before he can get that subpoena and it will cost him money. Make him pay for it!

[Maxwell]

I wondered about that, too.

Several months back, TW Eston (over there at that "other" site) implied that there was some piece of damning evidence that few new about and that was, possibly, disposed of but that may still be around. He was fishing for someone to come forward with it. Don't remember if it was Eston or a another poster that suggested it may be a hard drive.

I seem to recall a VF employ also be let go after confronting Doug about porn on another persons computer.

Not sure about my recollection of all that but it would seem to fit the pattern.

** edited 'cause it's early and I can't spell **

[snarkopolis]

Something along the lines of, unless there were witnesses, it means nothing, and carry on with your patriarchal selves.

I am wondering who will be deposed. Can Beall be deposed? What about his kids? I thought I saw apost about someone walking in on an incident, maybe it was the kitchen assault. Sickening. I mean, the fact that her family caught DPIAT red handed, how fortuitous and important to this case.

They will depose All Board members of both VFs, Beall, whoever was working with Dougie at both VFs. That is why I think this will be settled. Depending on who knew knew what when and all their emails, letters, meeting notes, internet postings, a lot of people could be deposed and called as witnesses.

[snarkopolis]

I'm assuming there will be a discovery process where Dougie, VFM and VF Inc. will have to hand over all kinds of documentation as potential evidence (I know nothing about how the legal process works unless you count all the episodes of Law & Order: SVU I've watched). If a judge sees something hinky going on with The financials of VFM or VF Inc., is he under any obligation to turn that info over to the proper authorities? I'm still hoping Dougie will have to do some jail time for something. I'll take financial shenanigans.

Not familiar with this type of practice and don't know a lick about Texas Civil stuff but if the corporate veil is pierced (when a corporation is formed to protect individuals from liability and they don't act like a corporation then the individuals become liable) then everyone's goose is cooked. :o :lol:

[apple1]

I posted this on the Big Sandy thread, but it really needs to be here as well.

David Gibbs III needs to be researched more thoroughly. I have a feeling that it was his father, David Gibbs, Jr. who is defending Gothard (and speaking at Big Sandy next week), defended Schaap's church, and Terri Schaivo. Not sure what (if anything) DGIII had to do with any of these cases. However, he IS the one whose name is on LT's Complaint.

I'm going to bed now, but I fully expect this to be resolved by the time I get home from the gym.

Congrats to Lourdes and Nolan! I hope you can find happiness in the near future, and enjoy a blissful life together. Take Phillips to the cleaners.

It is David Gibbs Jr. who defended First Baptist Church Hammond. He can be seen at the 2:10 mark here, speaking from the FBCH pulpit shortly after the revelations about Schaap became public.

It is also Gibbs Jr. who is associated with IBLP.

Gibbs Jr. was at one time also the president of ACE - who sold homeschool materials competing with VF's materials.

Here is Gibbs III in the same pulpit (first 5 seconds of video).

Gibbs III was the Schiavo attorney.

My apologies for not separating the two Gibbs in my earlier posts.

Both of these guys ARE the Christian Law Association - a non-profit, in addition their personal law practices.

Homeschool Legal Advantage is an offshoot of the Christian Law Association. HLA (sort of) competes with HSLDA (for which DPIAT was a lawyer for 6 years).

http://pathnc.org/links/homeschool-legal-advantage-hla/

I still suspect there is historical hard feeling/competition/something between the Gibbs(es) and DPIAT.

[Abby_B]

It is David Gibbs Jr. who defended First Baptist Church Hammond. He can be seen at the 2:10 mark here, speaking from the FBCH pulpit shortly after the revelations about Schaap became public.

It is also Gibbs Jr. who is associated with IBLP.

Gibbs Jr. was at one time also the president of ACE - who sold homeschool materials competing with VF's materials.

Here is Gibbs III in the same pulpit (first 5 seconds of video).

Gibbs III was the Schiavo attorney.

My apologies for not separating the two Gibbs in my earlier posts.

Both of these guys ARE the Christian Law Association - a non-profit, in addition their personal law practices.

Homeschool Legal Advantage is an offshoot of the Christian Law Association. HLA (sort of) competes with HSLDA (for which DPIAT was a lawyer for 6 years).

http://pathnc.org/links/homeschool-legal-advantage-hla/

I still suspect there is historical hard feeling/competition/something between the Gibbs(es) and DPIAT.

David Gibbs Jr. who was associated with Jack Schaap's church and ATI is the father of David Gibbs III who is defending Lourdes. They have had some sort of falling out and division in the past couple of years and gone their separate ways. Clearly, Gibbs III knows a lot about patriarchy because he grew up around it and he is as frustrated with the movement as the rest of us. This explains why he wanted to take Hero's case and spelled out the issues within the movement so clearly.

[FlorenceHamilton]

First, congratulations to the happy couple! Second, kudos to both Nolan and Lourdes for their courage.

I think that Lourdes has gotten a good bit of what she needs just by filing the suit and making it public. I don't think it is about money. I don't think she cares about being excommunicated from the BCA. That is a done deal. It is about letting the world know that this man of respect is actually a perverted pig who used his power and authority to carry out his fantasies. He is so typical of a sociopath in the way that he set the whole thing up to be her fault from the get go. Given the narrow mindset with which she was raised, it is to her credit that she eventually saw past the BS. Even in more ordinary circumstances, people have difficulty clearing their thoughts from the fog created by a sociopath.

The complaint is so specific and detailed that IMO, there is little chance that it is not true. However, courts have a way of making waters muddy. I am certain DPIAT and his team will do a good job of that. The most important thing is that Lourdes stays clear in her own mind. Only she can know when she has gone far enough. The moment when the pain is greater than the pursuit of justice is something only she can know.

I am certain that she knows that Beall and the children are collateral damage here. She must have had pretty good therapy to understand that it was DPIAT who damaged his family. She is only reporting it. I feel for all of them. I hope they all get the help they need to understand that they are all victims of a narcissist/sociopath.

[WonderingInWA]

First, congratulations to the happy couple! Second, kudos to both Nolan and Lourdes for their courage.

I think that Lourdes has gotten a good bit of what she needs just by filing the suit and making it public. I don't think it is about money. I don't think she cares about being excommunicated from the BCA. That is a done deal. It is about letting the world know that this man of respect is actually a perverted pig who used his power and authority to carry out his fantasies. He is so typical of a sociopath in the way that he set the whole thing up to be her fault from the get go. Given the narrow mindset with which she was raised, it is to her credit that she eventually saw past the BS. Even in more ordinary circumstances, people have difficulty clearing their thoughts from the fog created by a sociopath.

The complaint is so specific and detailed that IMO, there is little chance that it is not true. However, courts have a way of making waters muddy. I am certain DPIAT and his team will do a good job of that. The most important thing is that Lourdes stays clear in her own mind. Only she can know when she has gone far enough. The moment when the pain is greater than the pursuit of justice is something only she can know.

I am certain that she knows that Beall and the children are collateral damage here. She must have had pretty good therapy to understand that it was DPIAT who damaged his family. She is only reporting it. I feel for all of them. I hope they all get the help they need to understand that they are all victims of a narcissist/sociopath.

My thoughts exactly. Well said, Florence!

[Ellimenopy]

I am going to get reamed for this, but I would take the complaint with a grain of salt. I do not doubt that Doug Phillips acted inappropriately and took advantage of this young woman. Nor do I doubt that she was stuck in a position that, no matter what she did, she would be seen as committing some type of sin. I believe that she is a victim but I have this gut feeling that more happened or was going on there. A complaint does not always contain the complete truth. The facts are always massaged to get beyond the chance of a demurrer being successful. All you have to do is plead enough "facts" to meet the elements of each cause of action. A lot of the time, those "facts" are not true or just partially true. You always prepare a complaint to make your client appear as innocent as possible.

That being said, I would put money on this case being quietly settled and both sides signing a confidentiality agreement. No one wants a trial. It could be years before they make it to trial and extremely expensive. It will be hell for Hero and it is possible a jury will think she was just looking to get to the top by sleeping with a "powerful" man. We may see her as a victim but it may be harder to convince those that don't follow the happenings of this lifestyle like we do here. For Dougie, any more of this comes out and any chance he might have of reclaiming his throne may be completely gone. He needs this to go away quick. Someone mentioned insurance, it is always possible that any insurance policy may not cover this type of claim. You don't get coverage just because someone filed a lawsuit. Policies only cover certain things. If Doug does not have a policy that covers this, he will likely settle quick or go broke.

I think your second paragraph gets to the heart of why it could be hard to convince a jury of her story, but for anybody who knows a little bit about their patriarchal lifestyle, we know that the claims that he controlled all of her career prospects and held out-sized influence over her life is true. If any of the rest of her claims are true, then it's definitely sexual abuse. I can actually believe that she wasn't as firm in her rejection at all times, but it doesn't mitigate the reality of her being stuck in the situation. I don't think she wants money. I think she wants to be heard and for the people who worship Doug to see him as he is. Just by making the claim she's already won. He can't silence her or stuff her back in a box anymore.

Edit: I just realized that this could sound like I don't believe some of her story, but I don't doubt her at all. I was trying to say that any way that Dougie could minimize or deny it's extreme nature doesn't actually end up making him look better. There's no way to say, "well, I ONLY groped her breasts." and come off looking appropriate in any way.

[DomWackTroll]

When Perry notes the 102nd anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, one of his FB friends replies, "A bit ironic that the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is the same day that a certain WND article was released," and Perry says, "Yeah, you noticed that too."

facebook.com/pcoghlan/posts/10203547241980084?stream_ref=10

You know what I noticed, Perry? That you were a director at Vision Forum, not just a clueless, bumbling warehouse manager. I also noticed that Hero’s complaint clearly states that the abuse setting switched from the Phillips home to Doug Phillips’ workplace YEARS ago. You and Kim can post all the "best wishes" you want on Nolan’s FB page to CYA, but we’ve got your number.