Federal Court Dismisses Class-Action Lawsuit Against South Carolina Church and SBC

A United States District Court has dismissed a federal class-action lawsuit filed against Pawleys Island Community Church and the Southern Baptist Convention. The legal action followed the July arrest of Warren Spence Perry, a registered sex offender who had been volunteering at the church’s academy. The court ruled that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction, noting that the plaintiffs failed to sufficiently demonstrate that the amount in controversy exceeded the $5 million threshold required for the case to proceed in federal court.

The lawsuit named several defendants, including the church, the SBC Executive Committee, and former church leadership. The controversy began when authorities discovered Perry, who was on probation for the sexual exploitation of a minor, was working at the church academy. Following the incident, former Senior Pastor Donald Williams, his wife Virginia Lee Williams, and academy director Jennifer Howard resigned from their positions. Criminal charges, including obstruction of justice and criminal conspiracy, were subsequently filed against the former leaders and Perry by local law enforcement.