Texas Pastor Ralph Douglas West II hit with $2.45 million payout over herpes transmission
Pastor Ralph Douglas West II preaches at Houston superchurch, The Church Without Walls, although his future in the organization is unclear in the wake of the news.
A Texan pastor has found himself in a grave legal situation after he was found to have knowingly passed on a sexually transmitted disease to somebody he met on social media.
Pastor Ralph Douglas West II faces multimillion-dollar payout
A landmark case has found pastor West II guilty of battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraudulent concealment over a sexual encounter he had with somebody he met on Facebook back in 2018.
West II is a minister at the Eldrige branch of Houston’s The Church Without Walls, which has several thousand members spread across three branches in the city.
West II’s unnamed victim is believed to have developed herpes within days of meeting him. Reports state that West II did not disclose that he had the disease prior to the encounter, although the pastor is said to have admitted it when his victim confronted him after the fact.
As a result of the verdict, which was determined by a public jury, West II will now have to pay $1,450,000 in compensatory damages, as well as an additional $1,000,000 in punitive damages.
‘You can’t fix it’ says plaintiff’s attorney
Addressing the severity of the case, attorney Shan Murphy reportedly explained to the courts why he and his client were pursuing damages from West II.
“You can’t fix it, she’s got it for the rest of her life”, Murphy explained on behalf of the victim, who remained anonymous throughout the three-day trial.
Murphy claimed that when West II was confronted about his medical status, he conceded that he had contracted herpes from “his son’s mother”.
The Church Without Walls has not publically addressed the charges and it is unclear whether West II will continue to work for the organization.
HITC has reached out to The Church Without Walls for comment.
Pastor West’s father, Ralph Douglas, is an important figure
West II is the son of the head of The Church Without Walls, Pastor Ralph Douglas West.
According to Pastor West’s section on The Church Without Walls website, the religious group “is devoted to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, the study and application of God’s Word and global outreach.”
Pastor West is something of a celebrity preacher, having published multiple books as well as boasting an Instagram following of over 17,000.
At the time of writing, the pastor has yet to comment on the news of his son’s charges.
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