A Volunteer’s Battle Against Lakewood Church
Houston’s famous megachurch, Lakewood Church, is facing a $10 million lawsuit from a volunteer who alleges negligence and “criminal conduct” on the part of the church, resulting in false accusations of child molestation.
Daniel Guzman has taken legal action against Lakewood Church in Harris County Court.
The lawsuit does not provide details about the alleged incident, which Guzman vehemently denies ever occurred.
According to the Houston Chronicle, another volunteer claimed to have witnessed Guzman inappropriately touching an autistic child and promptly reported it to both the church and the police.
However, due to the child’s inability to communicate, the investigation yielded no conclusive evidence.
Guzman insists that this non-incident supposedly took place around February 13, 2010.
Over a year later, in May 2011, Guzman was arrested and subsequently released on $10,000 bail.
Fortunately for Guzman, a Harris County grand jury declined to indict him in July, as reported by the Chronicle.
Guzman’s complaint accuses the church of “abandoning” him after the false accusations were made, further alleging that the defendants procrastinated in reporting or investigating the matter, failed to act appropriately at the time or afterward, and ultimately left him without support.
Furthermore, Guzman claims that similar incidents had occurred at Lakewood Church in the past, yet the church failed to take any corrective measures to prevent their recurrence.
Guzman argues that Lakewood Church neglected to secure crucial video footage and evidence, failed to adequately train and provide sufficient personnel, exacerbated the situation instead of offering assistance when danger arose, delayed reporting, and pushed him into an even more precarious position.
Javier Marcos, Guzman’s attorney, informed the Chronicle that his client had to leave Texas due to the false accusations, which have had severe repercussions on his life.
Marcos stated, “All his licenses, whether in real estate or mechanics, are being revoked, and he is unable to find employment anywhere.
To put it simply, if Lakewood had properly trained employees and followed the correct procedure for handling such situations, none of this would have escalated to where it stands now.”
Guzman seeks compensation for lost wages, damage to his reputation, lost future earning potential, missed opportunities, harm to his professional licenses, and the emotional toll of enduring ridicule, anxiety, pain, and illness resulting from the ordeal.
Additionally, Guzman is pursuing punitive damages, alleging that the church had a specific intent to cause significant injury or harm to him.
Lakewood Church, led by renowned author and TV preacher Joel Osteen, boasts the largest congregation in
