Kelowna Pastor Art Lucier Faces Civil Suits Alleging Historical Sexual Abuse

Content Warning: This blog post contains references to childhood sexual abuse and grooming. We recognize that this content may be distressing, especially for survivors. Please take care while reading and prioritize your well-being. A list of resources and supports is available here. 

​​Kelowna pastor Art Lucier, who made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic for defying public health orders and launching court challenges against the government, is now facing serious civil allegations of historical sexual abuse.

Hammerco Lawyers has filed lawsuits in the Supreme Court of British Columbia on behalf of two women, alleging that Lucier groomed and abused them while they were teenagers and members of his congregation. Both women were foster children at the time and say the abuse began when they were especially vulnerable—one as young as 11. The suits also allege that the church fostered a culture that enabled the abuse and failed to protect them.

Hammerco Managing Partner Morgyn Chandler is leading the claims against Lucier and recently spoke with CBC reporter Brady Strachan about the impact on the individuals involved (read the full article here, or listen here).

“When it is a person who is in a position of trust, who has positioned themselves as a counselor, as a spiritual guide, and as a guide to life and getting along in life. And so when you have that, it really compounds the impact, and what you see and what we see with these particular individuals is that there are significant mental health challenges, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression. There’s a diminished ability to trust and to form intimate relationships or even friendships. There are also feelings of shame. How did this happen to me? There are feelings of lack of self-worth, low self-esteem, and there can be physical symptoms as well that go along with the psychological distress of having experienced years of grooming and abuse.”

The cases highlight the importance of supporting survivors when they are ready to come forward and of examining the institutional environments that may have enabled abuse to occur unchecked.

Hammerco Lawyers is committed to standing with survivors of sexual assault. Our experienced legal team offers trauma-informed representation rooted in dignity, empathy, and accountability.