Married Texas megachurch pastor ordered to pay woman he met on Facebook $2.45 million after giving her HERPES
- Ralph Douglas West II is a pastor at Houston’s The Church Without Walls
- The victim’s lawyer said he admitted that ‘his son’s mother’ gave him herpes
- Douglas’ father Pastor Ralph Douglas West is the founder of the church
A Texas pastor has been ordered to pay a woman he met online $2.45 million after he gave her herpes.
Ralph Douglas West II, the assistant pastor at Houston’s The Church Without Walls, was convicted of battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraudulent concealment.
After a three-day trial and six hours of deliberation, a jury determined Thursday that West gave the victim genital herpes after they met on Facebook five years ago.
“You can’t fix it, she has it for the rest of her life,” said the woman’s attorney Shaun Murphy, as reported by Click 2 Houston.
Douglas’ father, Pastor Ralph Douglas West, is the founder of the church, which has about 24,000 members in three locations.
Ralph Douglas West II, the assistant pastor at Houston’s The Church Without Walls, has been ordered to pay a woman he met online $2.45 million after he gave her herpes.
West reportedly admitted he had herpes when the victim asked him about it, saying it came from his son’s mother
The unnamed victim developed an outbreak a few days after meeting the assistant pastor, then tested positive for herpes.
She knew West was the source because she had not had sex with anyone else and had previously tested negative, Murphy added.
West reportedly admitted he had herpes when the victim asked him about it, saying it came from his son’s mother. West is pictured with a son on his social media, but it is unclear if he is married.
The lawyer said he was able to prove to the jury that West knew he was infected with the sexually transmitted disease, but that he lied when he had unprotected sex with the woman in March 2018.
The assistant pastor will now have to pay $1,450,000 in compensatory damages and $1,000,000 in exemplary/punitive damages – believed to be the largest payment ordered in such a case.
West is a pastor at the Eldridge campus, according to the church’s website.
The Christian church claims on its website that they ‘(embrace) thousands of families who meet in three locations and hold six services every Sunday.’
Rev. West Sr. is a vocal supporter of critical race theory and even has ties to the Southern Baptist Convention.
Douglas’ father, Pastor Ralph Douglas West (left) is the founder of the church, which has approximately 24,000 members in three locations
Rev. West Sr. and his two sons work together at The Church With No Walls in Houston
In an essay for the Baptist Standard, the senior pastor wrote: ‘Their stance against racism rings hollow when in their next breath they reject theories that have been useful in framing the problem of racism.’
Despite the scandal involving the founder’s son, a church member took to Facebook to support the West family.
‘My faith in the Lord and my support for my pastor and his family will not be affected by recent events. I will continue to hold them up in prayer and support them,’ wrote Kim Walker.
‘These are difficult times, please respect their privacy in this matter. I ask in the name of Jesus that we as people do not slander this family. Compassion and forgiveness is what Jesus teaches us to do for all God’s children. Life gives us all different trials and tribulations and we will seek Jesus to forgive all our wrongs. Let us not judge, but forgive.’
But the public at large has not been so forgiving, as many on social media are calling for West to be fired.
‘There is no way one should be allowed on a staff or in a pulpit. I am sorry. You need to take stewardship more seriously. He needs to be put down,’ said one X user.
“Lol my mom and I were just talking about how to spot a false prophet and here goes a Houston mega pastor convicted of intentionally spreading herpes,” added another.
It is not clear if West will continue to preach at the church.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the church for comment on this story.