Former Mars Hill Church elder files motion to dismiss lawsuit

Suzette Gutierrez Cachila Monday, June 20, 2016

A former elder from Mars Hill Church has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against him.

Mars Hill Church, Ballard WA campus. 29 April 2012 | Wikimedia Commons/Frank Brown

Sutton Turner, one of the elders of the now dissolved Mars Hill Church, has been facing a lawsuit for allegedly soliciting donations and using the collected money for purposes other than what the donations were intended for. The lawsuit was brought against him and former Mars Hill Church pastor Mark Driscoll, according to Religion News Service.

The civil racketeering lawsuit was filed by four people who used to be members of Mars Hill: Ryan Kildea, Arica Kildea, Brian Jacobsen and Connie Jacobsen. They said the church allegedly shelled out $210,000 in payment to Result Source, Inc. to list Driscoll's book as a New York Times Best Seller.

However, Turner said the lawsuit was never served to him. According to state law, it should have been served within 90 days of filing.

Turner claimed the lawsuit was meant to "disparage" his character. He said those who filed it "acted in bad faith," and he demands that attorney's fees totaling more than $4,000 be assessed.

"The Jacobsens/Kildeas' defamatory accusations through this filed lawsuit, along with the accompanying publicity, which they instigated, has caused irreparable harm to my business career and future earning potential," Turner wrote in his blog.

Turner explained that after the lawsuit was filed, his attorney communicated with the plaintiff's attorney Brian Fahling "offering to accept service and save the Jacobsens/Kildeas the costs of out of state personal service."

However, Fahling did not reply, and Turner said he was never served with the lawsuit.

Turner also pointed out that the Kildeas and the Jacobsens set up a website that serves as a resource for "everything pertaining to the Mars Hill Church RICO lawsuit." However, he said, they filed a lawsuit not against Mars Hill but against him and Driscoll only.

He said the lawsuit has caused irreparable harm to his reputation and career.

"I am only sharing this to get my side of the story out there and hope that it is helpful for anyone still seeking answers about Mars Hill Church and the false accusation levied against me," he concluded.