West Village Pastor Made Sexual Advances To Female Reverend: Suit

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A female pastor at a West Village church has filed a lawsuit against a pastor previously at the same church accusing him of making repeated unwanted sexual advances and requests for sexual favors toward her.

According to the lawsuit, filed Tuesday, both pastors worked at the French Evangelical Church of New York at 128 W. 16th St. at the time of the accused misconduct. The Rev. Grace Nzameyo was a fill-in pastor, and the Rev. Charles Atkins Jr. was the primary service leader at the church.

The lawsuit says that Atkins began making repeated unwanted sexual advances and requests for sexual favors within days of Nzameyo accepting the position at the Lower Manhattan church.

The alleged incidents included Atkins texting Nzameyo multiple pictures of his genitalia and telling her that he would make her life "miserable" if she did not accept his sexual demands, according to the lawsuit.

Amid her continued rejections of Atkins' advances, he went on to tell her that he would prohibit her from participating in Sunday worship or carrying out other duties within the church, according to the lawsuit.

Nzameyo also claimed in the lawsuit that Atkins repeatedly called her a "stupid b----" under his breath while on the pulpit with her during worship services.

In February 2019, Nzameyo filed a formal complaint of sexual misconduct with the New York Presbytery, a community of 92 congregations within the five boroughs, including the French Evangelical Church in the West Village, the lawsuit states.

The Lower Manhattan church responded by firing Atkins a couple of months later, the lawsuit states.

However, the lawsuit also states that since Nzameyo made protected complaints against Atkins, she is now being ostracized by certain church leaders.

Wigdor LLP represents Nzameyo in the case, and a partner from the law firm released the following statement on Wednesday about the suit:

“It is important to recognize that when spiritual leaders commit sexual misconduct in the workplace, not only do they inflict trauma upon the victims, but they also have the power to cause emotional and spiritual harm throughout the communities in which they serve," said Lawrence M. Pearson, a partner at Wigdor LLP. "The Presbytery’s and FEC’s alleged ongoing retaliation against Rev. Nzameyo is inexcusable and suggests that the Church’s leadership cares more about maintaining silence to protect its male leaders than ensuring a safe environment for people to practice their faith.”

The lawsuit is seeking an award of monetary and punitive damages, in an amount that will be determined in court.

The New York Presbytery did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.