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A senior pastor from Buffalo, New York, Darius Pridgen is accused of s*xually abusing a parishioner at True Bethel Baptist Church in a lawsuit filed under the Adult Survivors Act. The civil suit claimed that the alleged abuse happened on about seven occasions after church service.
According to News 4, the incidents took place around 2020 when the victim was 45 years old. Pridgen is accused of inappropriately touching her and forcing her to perform a s*x act on him. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff claims she:
"Pleaded with Bishop Pridgen to leave her alone and he continued to s*xually abuse her."
The news agency adds both Pridgen and True Bethel Baptist Church as named defendants and the pursuant is seeking damages against them.
Darius Pridgen serves as the Council President for Ellicott District for the City of Buffalo
Darius Pridgen is a member of the Buffalo Common Council representing Ellicott District, assuming office in 2012, and in 2014 he was elected as the council president. He has also served in the United States Air Force.
The pastor holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Buffalo State College, and a master's degree in organizational leadership from Medaille College, where he serves on the board of trustees.
Darius Pridgen has served as a pastor since the age of 29.
In her lawsuit, the 45-year-old adds that she "suffered catastrophic and lifelong injuries" due to the negligence on the part of the Church as they failed to "adequately supervise Bishop Pridgen" who had a "reputation of being a s*xual predator."
A statement was released by Antigone Curis, of Curis Law, the attorney representing the victim which asserted:
"As alleged in the complaint, my client was subjected to prolific abuse that has altered her life forever. This lawsuit is the first step toward healing and justice and we are thankful for the Adult Survivors Act."
News of the lawsuit left Darius Pridgen shocked and the 58-year-old pastor claimed that he does not know the woman making the accusations. He defended the True Bethel Baptist Church community in his conversation with WBEN on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, when questioned about the lawsuit.
"I'm very disappointed because we have not been served at all," he added.
The pastor added that the lawsuit does not make sense because True Bethel was not operating at the time frame mentioned in the lawsuit due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Additionally, he stated that he was seriously ill at the time.
A quick Google search revealed that on March 20, 2020, all businesses in the state of New York were ordered to be closed by then-governor Andrew Cuomo.
The only exception to this rule were businesses offering essential services like grocery stores and health care. A news article from March 29, 2020, revealed that the pastor has contacted Covid. However, he had recovered by the time it was Easter.
Darius Pridgen made no further comments as he was not formally served a notice. However, he stated that he was "very hurt."
