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Two Florida men have filed lawsuits seeking a combined $40 million from a Volusia County church, a Christian school and affiliated religious organizations, alleging they ignored warnings about a convicted child sex offender before allowing him to work with children, WFTV News Channel 9 reported.
The lawsuits, filed Wednesday, accuse the organizations of failing to protect children from Matthew Graziotti, a former youth pastor and teacher who was sentenced to 210 years in federal prison in 2015 for child sexual exploitation crimes.
At the center of the new cases is whether church and school leaders knew about Graziotti’s behavior before hiring him, and if so, why was he allowed to work with children?
Survivors Seek $40 Million in Damages
One plaintiff has filed a lawsuit against Edgewater Alliance Church and the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the denomination with which the church is affiliated.
The plaintiff alleges that he was sexually abused by Graziotti after becoming involved with the church’s youth activities.
His lawsuit, filed in Orange County Circuit Court, seeks at least $25 million in damages.
A separate lawsuit was filed by a plaintiff against Warner Christian Academy in Volusia County, seeking at least $15 million.
[Editor’s note: SurvivorsRights.com does not publish the names of plaintiffs even if they are in the public record.]
Both men allege that the organizations failed to take appropriate precautions despite having information that should have raised concerns about Graziotti’s interactions with children.
The new lawsuits aren’t the first civil claims involving Graziotti. However, they introduce allegations concerning what church and school leaders knew before giving him access to young people.
Church Leaders Allegedly Received Warnings Before Hiring Graziotti
According to the lawsuits, Graziotti had previously worked at Friendship Community Church, where concerns arose about his behavior with young boys.
Edgewater police investigated him in 2004, but no criminal charges were filed at the time.
Graziotti subsequently lost his position at Friendship Community Church.
The new complaints allege that church leaders had access to information about those concerns before Graziotti was hired to work with children elsewhere.
One particularly important allegation involves Graziotti’s sister, who was married to a pastor at Friendship Community Church.
According to the lawsuits, she contacted Edgewater Alliance Church after learning her brother was seeking a youth pastor position and warned church officials about his past behavior.
Despite the warning and earlier police investigation, the plaintiffs allege that Graziotti was hired and allowed to supervise children without adequate safeguards.
The complaints also question Warner Christian Academy’s decision to employ him.
Both lawsuits contend that failures in hiring, screening and supervision created opportunities for further abuse.
Former Teacher Received 210-Year Federal Prison Sentence
Graziotti’s criminal case became public in 2014 after federal investigators discovered evidence of extensive child sexual exploitation.
He pleaded guilty to federal offenses involving the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material.
Federal prosecutors said evidence recovered during the investigation documented his sexual abuse of 29 children younger than 12.
Graziotti had worked in positions that gave him regular access to children, including elementary school teacher, summer camp director, youth sports coach and pastor.
In January 2015, a federal judge sentenced him to 210 years in prison.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld that sentence later that year.
The new civil lawsuits seek to establish whether the religious organizations that employed Graziotti should also be held financially responsible for failing to protect children from him.
Survivor Speaks Publicly About Abuse and Accountability
One of the plaintiffs, now an adult, spoke publicly about his experience during an October news conference.
He explained that he had decided to identify himself rather than pursue his lawsuit anonymously.
“I refuse to carry the shame for what happened to me as a child any further,” the plaintiff said, according to WFTV.
His decision to speak publicly comes more than a decade after Graziotti’s criminal prosecution.
The lawsuits describe the lasting emotional and psychological consequences of childhood sexual abuse and seek compensation for the harm the plaintiffs say they experienced.
The cases will now proceed through Florida’s civil court system.
