I heard Jack Hyles once speak on leadership at a pastor’s conference in a Des Moines, Iowa church and he said something like, “If I told my deacons we were going to become an Episcopal Church, they would agree”. That may not bother some but as an independent Baptist that’s all I needed and I never went to hear Jack Hyles again. Therefore, when I began to hear rumors not only of Jack Hyles but then of his son, David, I wasn’t totally surprised. Now, ‘A former parishioner has filed a class action lawsuit in federal court alleging she was repeatedly raped as a child by the former youth director of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, and that officials at First Baptist and the affiliated Hyles-Anderson College covered up the abuse.
Nanette Miles alleges she was sexually assaulted over a period of several years by David Hyles, the son of Hyles-Anderson College founder and longtime First Baptist pastor Jack Hyles, starting when she was 13 years old in 1976.
The civil complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois seeks undisclosed damages on behalf of Miles and other individuals who allegedly were harmed by Hyles, other First Baptist leaders and officials of the college.
“Nanette is seeking justice against David Hyles for his reprehensible behavior for herself and many others,” said attorney Ashley Pileika in a statement. “She is friends with at least two other women who were raped by David Hyles and struggle with severe health complications today. Nanette is courageously stepping forward to be their voices as well.”
The lawsuit says that in addition to Miles, at least 10 others “have credibly accused D. Hyles of using his position of power to sexually prey on them” when they were minors, and that “First Baptist and the College staff members were aware of his reprehensible conduct for years and remained silent.”
The suit also said there are “likely hundreds of other survivors that were sexually abused at First Baptist and/or Hyles-Anderson College.”https://julieroys.com/class-action-lawsuit-filed-youth-director-first-baptist-hammond/?mc_cid=1fbb829451&mc_eid=b13d34ad49
