12 file suit, say abused by Alamo’s supporters

Twelve former members of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries filed a federal lawsuit this week seeking damages for abuses they said they suffered as children raised in the group.

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Two of the 12 plaintiffs are still minors. All were either born or brought into the communal organization by their member parents, states a complaint filed Monday by Little Rock attorneys Jonathan Lane and Charles Hancock.

“The plaintiffs were subjected to the following by the individual defendants: brainwashed, imprisoned, forced to work long hours without pay, routinely beaten, starved as punishment for perceived wrongdoing, and subjected to horrible conditions such that they lived in a perpetual state of agony, fear and duress,” the complaint states.

The complaint alleges the defendants violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act by forcing the plaintiffs to labor unpaid under “threats of serious harm, actual harm, physical restraint and psychological duress and coercion.”

Named as defendants in the suit are Tony Alamo; Tony Alamo Christian Ministries; a number of businesses and organizations run by Alamo Ministries; seven individual members defined as officers of the business and organizational defendants; and “John Does I-XX, shareholders, officers, directors or employees of above named defendants, and any other business associated with above named defendants.”

The suit alleges the female plaintiffs “lived in a constant state of fear of rape or forced marriage.” All of the plaintiffs said they were tortured and ritualistically beaten.

Alamo, 79, whose given name is Bernie LaZar Hoffman, is serving a 175-year federal prison term for taking girls he wed as children across state lines for sex.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey in the Texarkana division of the Western District of Arkansas. None of the defendants has filed a response.

Arkansas, Pages 11 on 04/25/2014

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