Calvary Chapel Franchise, Calvary Chapel Lawsuit, WhoWouldJesusSue?

Calvary Chapel Pastor Bob Grenier’s Lawsuit against His Son: Abuse and Free Speech Case is in Appeals Tomorrow

Julie Anne

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Pastor Bob Grenier and Gayle Grenier vs Alex Grenier and Tim Taylor:  lawsuit in appeals tomorrow at court

You may remember the #WhoWouldJesusSue media campaign a group of us put together to bring media attention to the legal case involving Pastor Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia and his wife, Gayle, against their son, Alex Grenier and Tim Taylor. Here is a brief video by Alex Grenier explaining the case and the media campaign we put together about 1-1/2 years ago:

 

 

 

tim

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Please be praying for Tim Taylor and Alex Grenier as tomorrow is their court date for appealing the lower court ruling on their anti-SLAPP lawsuit. Pray that the judge dismisses the case.  This case has been dragging on for quite some time.

I’ve linked to some of my coverage of the case below. The short story is that Pastor Bob Grenier (Calvary Chapel Visalia) and his wife Gayle, have sued their son, Alex Grenier, and Tim Taylor for speaking out about the abuses they saw or incurred. (Alex is Gayle’s son, Bob’s step-son.)

For some reason, the lower courts did not rule in favor of Tim and Alex. Let’s hope this next court process they will see that Tim and Alex did have protected speech when they spoke out against Bob Grenier. ~Julie Anne

 

Calvary Chapel Pastor Bob Grenier: Stories of Abuse As Told by His Children

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Alex Grenier Responds to Notice of Imminent Lawsuit by Calvary Chapel Visalia & Pastor Bob Grenier

39 thoughts on “Calvary Chapel Pastor Bob Grenier’s Lawsuit against His Son: Abuse and Free Speech Case is in Appeals Tomorrow”

  1. I will be praying for you. Child abuse is horrific and sadly still is happening today. It is never wrong to tell the truth. Many think that because you don’t come forward as a child, it must not be that bad. From experience I know that it is because you are trained to keep silent. Most likely, dad took the jar of change in order to have a reason to abuse.

    Liked by 4 people

  2. Thanks for posting this and remembering us Julie Anne. Child abuse is terrible and has lasting effects and for the abuser to revicitimize his victims in an effort to silence them from speaking out about him and warning the pubic about him since he is in a Position of Trust as a Pastor and also Police Chaplain who has access to families and kids…it is important to stand against this sort of bullying victims into the only thing they’ve often got left which is Free Speech to share their stories of warning and to express their anger at what happened to them as kids.

    Liked by 7 people

  3. Alex, you’ve been doing this longer than me. Thank you for all the work you’ve done in exposing abuse in church and not being afraid to speak out about the abuses in Calvary Chapel churches. I have great respect for you.

    For some, there is a bigger price to pay (lawsuit, emotional stress, etc). My attorney used to remind me that sometimes the lower courts really mess up because they do not understand First Amendment and also anti-SLAPP laws. Let’s hope they get it right this time because if they don’t, it could have an effect on all of us who speak out against abuse on social media.

    Liked by 3 people

  4. This lawsuit; because nothing helps one regain one’s standing in the community like the “discovery” process, by which all of the information Tim & Alex have collected because crazily public.

    Read the original complaint, and it’s bizarre to see complaints about child abuse described as “perceived poor parenting.” Without passing any judgment on the virtues of either side’s case, I can say clearly that Tim & Alex’s lawyers ought to have a great time with THAT one. More or less, the plaintiff’s lawyers confess in the original complaint that “Pastor” Grenier is willing to lie in a legal document.

    Will pray for justice to be served in this one. Tim, Alex, if there’s any virtue in what I just noted, feel free to use it.

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  5. And so we return to the latest go-round at Calvary Chapel Visalia.

    The whole thread reads like something out of Game of Thrones, except darker.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. HUG, it is darker. It’s an example of humankind’s bad side. A drug dealing drug smuggling con who “finds Jesus” on a beach in Jamaica while on a drug trip…then goes to a Calvary Chapel Commune in Dexter, Oregon where he sees a man leading a bible study and goes “I can do that!” and light goes on…a new con to get power and money and influence.

    My step-dad built his business in Calvary Chapel, paid his dues, made all the right political moves locally in Visalia and also within the Calvary Chapel (we’re not a) Denomination. Unfortunately, this public figure and Pastor/Chaplain was also an evil Child Abuser who is unrepentant and lies about it to this day…and to add insult to the abuse…he sues some of the victims for having the gall to tell their stories about him and to share their belief in Paul Grenier’s sworn testimony about being molested as well as physically abused.

    Calvary Chapel’s response to date has been very disappointing. The Pastors of the 1500 church denomination are like the NFL. They will only act if it is in their collective best interest. As long as their particular franchise is making money and there is no heat on them…they’re happy to look the other way, hold their nose and ignore the bad situations in their Denom.

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  7. Bike Bubba said, “Read the original complaint, and it’s bizarre to see complaints about child abuse described as “perceived poor parenting.””

    “perceived poor parenting” as written by Bob Grenier himself. That is such a Bob spin statement.

    The State of California defines what is and is not “Child Abuse”…not Bob Grenier. When you hit a child and leave welts, bruises, draw blood on legs, buttocks and back, when you hit them in the face open handed or closed fisted, when you imprison them in a closet etc…that is not “perceived poor parenting”…sorry Bob, nice try.

    While the physical abuse alone is worth speaking out about and warning people about…the testimony Paul Grenier, Bob’s blood son, gave is even worse and more evil.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. My step-dad built his business in Calvary Chapel, paid his dues, made all the right political moves locally in Visalia and also within the Calvary Chapel (we’re not a) Denomination. Unfortunately, this public figure and Pastor/Chaplain was also an evil Child Abuser who is unrepentant and lies about it to this day…

    Alex, as a 20+ year veteran of some esoteric fandoms (primarily Gamer & Furry), I encounter lots of people with abuse in their past; for many of them, obsessing over D&D characters or imaginary upright talking animals literally saved their lives by giving them something to live for. I’ve seen a lot of wreckage from abuse, just in the interactions with others in these fandoms and their stories (when they are able to tell them). Lotsa walking wounded, lotsa emotional/personality paraplegics and quadriplegics and even a couple emotional/personality PVSes..

    And I have ALWAYS gotten a bad “ripple in the Force” from Calvary Chapel; nothing I could put my finger on, but a general aroma of something WRONG. Like they distilled down everything about Fundagelicalism, including its Dark Side.

    Liked by 3 people

  11. Alex, understood and agreed. Keep your head and make sure you remember that he may be giving you the tools to put his lawsuit in the circular file by what he’s doing. Something like “If the plaintiff cannot accurately describe the charges I and the other defendants have made about him, exactly how can we trust his testimony here?”

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I am praying you win this tomorrow, Alex. It’s been a long time coming. Dealing with the court system can be stressful and exhausting. IMO, it’s just one more abuse your step-father and mother have heaped on you.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. “As long as their particular franchise is making money and there is no heat on them” In the Industry this above God, the Bible, Jesus, the Cross and all that other nonsense (what I listed is not nonsense but it is treated that way). Money is number one, right next to power and ego stroking, good old boy network etc. Its funny that this ilk says man up but when they are pressed they run screaming persecution and self martyrism. I cant even listen to their sermons without gaging on the irony.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Brian,

    “I cant even listen to their sermons without gaging on the irony.”

    I haven’t heard this particular preacher’s name before today, much less a sermon, but I have heard others equally as despicable and couldn’t agree more.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. I’m praying for you, Alex and Tim. There needs to be some justice here. And I hope it starts in court today. I’m glad you have gone public, and that you have friends and family who will stand by you. I also hope you are getting help for the effects of abuse.

    But even if there is no justice today or tomorrow (and that’s often the case in child abuse situations), we know that the Great and Righteous Judge will right the wrongs in the end. God is not mocked, and he is the defender of innocent children.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Two questions, both touching on possible conflicts of interest:
    1) Is the Appeals Judge a member of or otherwise affiliated with Calvary Chapel Visalia?
    2) What is the venue of the Appeals court?

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  23. Brian said, “I can’t even listen to their sermons without gagging on the irony”. My sentiments exactly. To this day I am still reeling from the ‘mind-f-ing’ effects of this situation and others like it in CC-dom. I will never be the same. I pray the people of CC Visalia will open their minds to logic and common sense.

    Thank you, Alex and Tim, for having the courage that most don’t. My prayers are with you.

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  25. Thank you, Stephanie. This part by Paul Grenier, Alex’s brother, really struck out to me – – especially the last sentence after having read his court declaration.

    Paul Grenier says, “While I am not a party to this suit, I will not stand by and let my brother, Alex Grenier, stand alone in this matter. The declaration I submitted in the lower court regarding the physical and sexual abuse I suffered at the hands of Rev. Grenier speaks in detail for itself. For many years I did not have the courage to speak out as I felt I had no voice and recourse for justice. In particular, this case deals with a person, Rev. Grenier, in an absolute position of power and authority to abuse his victims. I believe anyone who has been abused is constitutionally protected to speak out about their experience. Incendiary and fear based lawsuits brought against victims as is the case at hand, is nothing more than an attempt by Rev. Grenier to try and victimize the abused all over again. My advice to any victim of abuse would be to speak your mind even if your voice shakes.”

    Liked by 1 person

  27. “It may take up to 90 days to get ruling.”

    I’ve been refreshing this page all morning long to read what the ruling was. 🙂
    So glad to hear the attorneys are confident. I’d like to see this end for Alex.

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  28. It may take up to 90 days to get ruling.

    The waiting game. Does it really take that long or is there a lot of red tape?

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  29. Waiting is hard. But losing and the consequences that will be set by the potential precedent this will create is unnerving to say the least.

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  32. It may take up to 90 days to get ruling.

    Oh. I was going to ask if there was any news yet. Guess it could be a while….

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  33. BB, it was the oral arguments at the end of an Appeal in front of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in California (Fresno).

    Now the Appeals Court has up to 90 days to issue a ruling as to whether or not BG is a public figure and whether or not Anti-SLAPP applies.

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  34. Alex,

    No matter what the outcome remember this:
    Karma and her sister Comeuppance are as relentless as time and gravity.
    They will not rest until Themis’s balances are reset.

    Liked by 1 person

  35. Got it. Hope your shop is doing good business to keep you afloat while all this nonsense goes through. I’ve got college friends out your way…hmmmm….road trip…? Blessings.

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  38. 90 days to wait and see whether the SLAPP applies.

    Well, we know whenever someone attempts to sue a newspaper or whatever for slander or libel they usually lose because we have what is called Freedom of Speech and Press in our First Amendment.

    Having gone through not nearly as much abuse as Alex and his brothers from my own mother I sympathize.

    Anyone can pretend to be a Christian and use a church to make all kinds of money pastoring like some kind of a corporation CEO salary now a days. That’s what the apostate church has become, sadly. They’re just taking advantage of the same first amendment Alex’s step dad is attempting to stop him from enjoying his rights to (aka freedom of religion.)

    Liked by 2 people

  39. Alex, I have been praying for you and for the truth to come out from the first day I read your story and Paul’s story. I will continue to pray for you and your family.

    Liked by 3 people

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