Longtime pastor and former SBC President Johnny Hunt has filed suit against the SBC, the SBC Executive Committee (EC) and Guidepost Solutions. The suit seeks unspecified damages related to allegations of defamation and the invasion of privacy based on accusations made against Hunt in the 2022 Guidepost report stemming from an investigation into the alleged mishandling of sexual abuse by the SBC EC.
Hunt filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Nashville on March 17.
In the report, Guidepost stated, “During our investigation, an SBC pastor and his wife came forward to report that SBC President Johnny Hunt (2008-2010) had sexually assaulted the wife on July 25, 2010.”
Guidepost says their report “was corroborated in part by a counseling minister and three other credible witnesses; and our investigators did not find Dr. Hunt’s statements related to the sexual assault allegation to be credible.”
However, Hunt alleges, “the SBC, its leadership, and the firm hired for ‘damage control’—Defendant Guidepost Solutions LLC (‘Guidepost’)—decided to use [Hunt] as their scapegoat.”
“The SBC Executive Committee is aware of the complaint against the Convention filed by former SBC president Johnny Hunt. We are reviewing the complaint and will not be commenting on active litigation at this time,” a spokesperson for the SBC EC said in a statement.
Read the entire report here.