VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Herman Law Firm is filing two lawsuits against church groups, alleging that the groups knew about a church leader’s past behavior but hired him anyway.
More than a decade after being sexually abused by a pastor at his school, Richard “Tucker” Tripp is speaking out about his experience.
“I refuse to carry the shame for what happened to me as a child any further,” Tripp said.
Herman Law is filing two lawsuits. One is against the Christian and Missionary Alliance and Edgewater Alliance Church on behalf of Tripp. The other is against Warner Christian Academy on behalf of another victim, Camron Armstrong.
Attorneys say the lawsuits are not the first of their kind, but they have uncovered new evidence that church groups knew about Matthew Grazziotti’s behavior but still employed him.
“This information was there in just one conversation with the Friendship Church leadership. It was there and the red flag behaviors that Graziotti’s was engaging in at the school property. But both institutions gave Graziotti unfettered and unsupervised access to children anyway,” attorney Jenny Rossman said.
Attorneys say Graziotti was fired from a position at another church, Friendship Church, before being hired by the church and academy.
His sister, who is married to the pastor of that church, allegedly contacted Edgewater and shared concerns about her brother’s behavior with young boys after learning he was applying to become a youth pastor there.
Attorneys also say the Edgewater Police Department investigated Graziotti, but he was never criminally charged.
Despite those concerns, attorneys say Edgewater and Warner hired him in 2004.
They say prosecutors believed there were at least 29 victims.
Tripp’s lawsuit seeks $25 million, while Armstrong is suing for $15 million.
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