Missouri education board chief faces new lawsuit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A former congregant at a Kansas City church alleges the new head of the Missouri State Board of Education used his position as pastor to engage in sexual misconduct, the second such lawsuit filed against him in a little more than a year.

The latest lawsuit, filed late Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges the Rev. Stan Archie made lewd comments about his sexual prowess after he began counseling a 15-year-old female member of the congregation, who is now 23. Archie also is accused of encouraging the teenage girl to act promiscuously and report her experiences to him, often by Skype. The suit said Archie sometimes would masturbate as she told him her experiences.

The suit said Archie told her he was her pastor and mentor and nothing they were doing was wrong.

A lawsuit filed last year claimed Archie engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with his former assistant.

Archie first was appointed to the state board in December 2006 and began his term as its president in January. Sarah Potter, a spokeswoman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said in an email the department "has no comment at this time."

Archie didn't immediately return phone messages left Thursday at his home and Christian Fellowship Baptist Church. His attorney, Michael McCausland, said he just received a copy of the suit Thursday morning and hadn't discussed it with Archie.

In the latest lawsuit, Archie is accused of telling the plaintiff he used to be a pimp and "that if she had been born `back in the day' he would make her his and described what that entailed."

The suit said by the time the plaintiff was 17 and 18, Archie began calling her "Princess," buying her clothes, paying her rent and providing gifts and money to her. The plaintiff alleged Archie once spanked her in a way that felt sexual. He told her someone had posted a sex tape of her on the Internet and called her a "million-dollar sex maker," the suit said. The plaintiff doesn't know whether a sex tape was posted or not.

The suit also names his church, Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, as a defendant, saying it was aware of previous misconduct involving Archie and failed to supervise him.

The first suit claimed sexual misconduct began during counseling sessions with Archie. It said Archie found the plaintiff's "deepest vulnerabilities and began to exploit them for his own gratification" and the pair ultimately became involved in a sexual relationship.

Rebecca Randles, the attorney who filed both lawsuits, didn't immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Barbara Dorris, the outreach director for the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said the organization is "disturbed" by the allegations and commended the plaintiffs for coming forward.

"Their courage is safeguarding others," Dorris said in a written statement.