2 women sue Salvation Army over alleged sex abuse by suburban Chicago youth pastor
COOK COUNTY, Ill. – Three women are speaking publicly about experiences they say they kept private for more than two decades.
Salvation Army sex abuse lawsuits
What we know:
Two women, Kristy Wynveen and Lindsey Gauthier, filed separate lawsuits in Cook County against The Salvation Army and affiliated organizations, according to a press release from their attorneys. The lawsuits accuse the organization of failing to act on warnings about Brian Davis, a youth pastor at the Tri City Corps in St. Charles.
The lawsuits allege Davis groomed and sexually abused girls involved in church youth programs in the late 1990s. Wynveen’s lawsuit says the abuse began when she was 13 and continued for about two years. Gauthier’s lawsuit says she was 11 when she began attending the church and that Davis abused her at the church, a community center and other locations.
A third woman, Anna Kozak, also plans to share her account. The press release says Kozak alleges Davis abused her as a teenager and that her guardian, a Salvation Army social services director, knew about their relationship and failed to intervene.
The lawsuits allege church leaders received repeated warnings about Davis but allowed him to remain in ministry. Davis later pleaded guilty to charges related to Wynveen’s abuse, according to the press release.
What they’re saying:
“The Salvation Army had repeated warnings about Davis’s inappropriate conduct with young girls, but they ignored it and allowed him to remain in a position where he could keep abusing them,” Michael Grieco, a founding partner at the law firm representing the women, said in the press release.
“This was an institutional failure. The organization had a responsibility to protect these children, and we intend to hold it accountable for failing to do so,” Grieco said.
“The message to these girls was clear: stay silent or face the consequences. The adults who were supposed to protect them used their authority to discourage disclosures and protect the institution instead,” he added.
The other side:
FOX Chicago reached out to The Salvation Army for comment and is waiting to hear back.
What’s next:
Wynveen, Gauthier and Kozak are scheduled to speak at a news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The Source: The information in this story came from a press release issued by Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC, Kosnoff Law, PLLC, and Law Offices of Chad A. Bowers, LTD.
