MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A man who was arrested in North Carolina and taken to Blount County after being served with a warrant for sexual battery by an authority figure was sued for a total of $4.5 million, alongside the Maryville church the lawsuit says he worked for.
The lawsuit says Joseph Kade Abbott, 26, worked for the First Apostolic Church of Maryville when he sexually assaulted a minor on multiple occasions. The lawsuit said that the assaults happened in 2022. The Blount County Sheriff's Office said they started investigating Abbott in June 2022 before arresting him in January 2023.
According to BCSO, he was accused of sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl.
The lawsuit claims that the First Apostolic Church of Maryville and the Apostolic Christian Academy "exhibited an extreme degree of negligence" when supervising staff and students, which endangered children there.
It asks the church and Abbott to pay the minor a total of $3 million and asks them to pay the parents a total of $1.5 million. The parents also demanded a jury for the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed in August 2022. An attorney for First Apostolic Church released a statement about the lawsuit. It is below.
"Joseph Abbott is no longer employed by Apostolic Christian Academy. We cannot comment on matters involving pending litigation. Our prayers are with everyone involved."