Disgraced Gateway Church founding pastor Robert Morris and his wife, Deborah Morris, denied they defamed his victim or covered up her abuse as a child in a court filing Monday that seeks to have the case thrown out.

Among several reasons, they say Cindy Clemishire's claims are barred by the statute of limitations and because her own, "negligence, acts and/or omissions caused or contributed to [Morris'] alleged damages."

Clemishire and her father filed the suit in June. They claim Morris, his wife, and Gateway staff covered up the abuse claims for years and defamed her when she came forward with the allegations.

The suit claims Morris characterized it as a consensual affair in which Morris, who was 21 at the time, was seduced by then-12-year-old Clemishire in the 1980s.

Morris plea

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