The lawsuit says alleged victims still struggle with trauma symptoms, including PTSD, severe depression, attempts at self harm, alcoholism, drug abuse, and sex work.
Institutions move on. Websites get scrubbed. Leaders keep preaching. Survivors do not get to just close the tab and walk away.
This part has not gotten enough attention.
MinistryWatch reported that the consolidated lawsuit claims Harvest covered up accusations involving volunteer William Walrath in the 1990s. Walrath was reportedly removed from his role without explanation, then later arrested, convicted of multiple felony sexual offenses involving minors, and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
That is not the Romania case. But it matters because the lawsuit appears to use it as part of a larger alleged pattern inside Harvest.
The Romania allegations are the center of the Harvest lawsuit, but the complaint reportedly points to another disturbing pattern.
MinistryWatch reported that Harvest recommended U Turn camp in Baja, Mexico, for children needing special discipline. The lawsuit alleges severe punishments happened there, and a Mexican task force later raided the ranch and expelled four counselors.
That is a separate issue from Romania, but it matters because the plaintiffs appear to be arguing a broader Harvest safeguarding problem, not one isolated failure.
MinistryWatch reported that the lawsuit alleges Havsgaard received $17,000 per month for Harvest Homes, but a 2004 investigation allegedly found at least $5,000 each month was spent without receipts or records.
That is not just a side detail. If donor money was moving through a personal account while children were allegedly being abused, then the accounting failure becomes part of the bigger oversight question.
Who was checking the money? Who saw the missing records? And why did that not trigger a full shutdown?
Harvest’s defense here raises a serious question, and it should not just sit there as a vague statement. They said they reported the allegations to law enforcement and tried to engage with the plaintiffs. They also claimed the men and their lawyer refused to cooperate with U.S. authorities. That is a big claim.
If Harvest is telling the truth, then there should be a clear timeline. When did they report it? Which law enforcement agency received the report? What documents or names did Harvest provide? Did investigators contact the survivors directly? Did anyone explain why cooperation allegedly did not happen?
This matters because accountability has to test both sides. The plaintiffs have made serious allegations. Harvest has made a serious defense. Neither side should get to hide behind broad language without details.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/f1a8c9e20021387e387ec4240a330f83
Attorneys for Greg Laurie and Harvest began legal proceedings in Romania to determine whether the plaintiffs’ claims are barred by Romania’s statute of limitations. That matters because the plaintiffs are suing in California federal court, while the alleged abuse happened in Romania years ago.
So the fight is not only about what allegedly happened at Harvest Homes. It is also about where the case should be heard, which court gets control, and whether time limits can shut the door before the survivors ever get a full hearing.
One detail in the Harvest Romania case deserves more attention.
Christianity Today reported that a denominational magazine profiled Havsgaard’s Romania work in 2001 and encouraged people to donate. The phone number listed for donations reportedly belonged to Harvest Christian Fellowship’s main office in Riverside, California.
That matters because Harvest’s defense has leaned on the idea that the homes were run through Havsgaard’s outside nonprofit, not directly under church oversight.
But if the fundraising pipeline pointed back to Harvest’s own office, the obvious question becomes simple: how separate was this work really?
This is not just a technical detail. It goes straight to the issue of control, money, and accountability. source: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/greg-laurie-calvary-chapel-negligence-abuse-lawsuit-romania/
Christian Post reported that Paul Havsgaard denied the accusations against him and argued that the children at the Romania homes could come and go whenever they wanted.
That answer sounds simple until you think about who these children were.The lawsuits describe vulnerable children, many allegedly taken from the streets, living inside a church linked system built around shelter, food, schooling, donations and adult authority. So the issue is not just whether a child could physically walk out of a building. It is whether they had any real power to leave.
Where would they go? Who controlled the food? Who controlled the money? Who controlled the housing? Who controlled access to adults who might believe them? In a case like this, “they could leave” is not the end of the conversation.
Power matters more than the front door.
The lawsuits also name Richard Schutte alongside Greg Laurie, Harvest Christian Fellowship, and Paul Havsgaard. The allegation is not that Schutte was the main abuser. Schutte was Harvest’s missions pastor, so his name matters because the case raises questions about missions oversight, supervision, and warnings tied to the Romania children’s homes.
Christian Post reported that the complaints accuse Laurie and Schutte of negligence, while Justia docket listings show Schutte as a defendant.