Paige Patterson, photographed by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Neil Williams/HandoutA longstanding lawsuit against Paige Patterson, the former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary who was accused of mishandling reported sexual assaults of students at the institutions he led, was jointly dismissed Thursday, according to court records.
In a court filing, Patterson, the seminary and a former student — who accused the two of defaming her after she reported she was sexually assaulted multiple times by a fellow student — said they jointly agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.
The former student’s attorney, Sheila Haddock, said the lawsuit was “amicably resolved” just days before it was scheduled to go to trial next week.
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In a statement, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary said it was grateful the matter was resolved for all involved.
“The Seminary has consistently denied any liability or wrongdoing, and the rulings in the case are a matter of public record,” James Smith, spokesperson for the seminary, said in a statement. “We are thankful to put this chapter behind us and to remain focused on our mission.”
Smith declined to provide further details on the resolution and referred to the seminary’s statement.
Patterson’s attorneys did not respond to multiple messages left over the phone and by email seeking comment.
Patterson, 83, was a prominent Southern Baptist leader for decades and the longtime former president of the Fort Worth-based Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was a key figure in the Southern Baptist Convention’s hard-fought transition to a conservative theological body in the second half of the 20th century. He was elected as president of the SBC in 1998 and 1999.
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He was president of Southwestern Theological Baptist Seminary, one of the SBC’s six seminaries, from 2003 to 2018.
Patterson was fired from the seminary in 2018 over his alleged mishandling of reported sexual assaults, The Dallas Morning News reported that year. One case stemmed from 2003 during his tenure as president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. The other case stems from 2015, when Patterson led the Fort Worth seminary.
While at the seminary in Fort Worth, Patterson allegedly said in a 2015 email that he intended to meet with a student who said she had been raped with the intention to “break her down,” according to a 2022 independent report by Guidepost Solutions examining accusations of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention.
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The Fort Worth student, who has said she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a fellow student, alleged negligence and defamation against Patterson and the seminary in a 2019 lawsuit.
Patterson denied mishandling the abuse allegations in a June 2018 letter, according to the Baptist Press.
“I take exception to accusations that I ever knowingly ignored or failed to follow appropriate protocols in cases of reported abuse of women, students, or staff at any institution where I have served,” Patterson said in the letter.
He denied the Fort Worth student’s allegations in court documents.
“Dr. Patterson’s conduct was not a cause, the cause, the sole cause, a proximate cause, the sole proximate cause, or a contributing cause of any injuries or damages claimed by Roe,” according to court documents filed by Patterson’s attorney in 2019.
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The Houston Chronicle reported the man accused of raping the former student was expelled from the seminary and avoided prosecution over the alleged assault. He died in November 2018, the Chronicle reported.
A federal judge in December dismissed the seminary as a party in the lawsuit, but the court filing Thursday said the seminary was part of the joint agreement to dismiss the case. Only one claim of defamation against Patterson had remained active, over a 2018 letter written by donors to the seminary’s executive committee of the board of trustees that opposed his firing, according to court documents.
The Fort Worth student, identified only as Jane Roe, said in court documents that the authors of this letter said she fabricated the sexual assault and argued that Patterson was responsible for the content of the letter.
Haddock, Roe’s attorney, said a confidentiality order in the case will remain in effect and her client will remain anonymous. Haddock also said Roe will not comment on the settlement.
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A 2019 investigation by the Houston Chronicle found over 700 people had been abused by Southern Baptist churches over the last 20 years. A major report from a firm contracted by the SBC’s executive committee in 2022 found the SBC stonewalled, ignored and disregarded survivors of sexual abuse by pastors over a period of almost 20 years.
A few months after the report was released, the Department of Justice began a federal investigation into sexual abuse within the denomination, SBC leaders announced. They said they planned to cooperate with investigators.
That investigation concluded last year and resulted in one conviction, that of a former administrator at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.