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A Dallas County judge on Tuesday denied efforts by Gateway Church and church elders to dismiss the lawsuit on grounds that it centers a religious issue that secular courts shouldn't be involved in.

A Dallas judge will decide whether her court has jurisdiction over Cindy Clemishire's lawsuit against Gateway Church and Robert Morris, the former pastor who's been convicted of sexually abusing her as a child. The Southlake megachurch argues the case deals with religious matters over which a secular civil court has no authority.

Robert Morris is currently serving six months at a Oklahoma jail for sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire when she was 12 years old. She's also suing Morris, his wife and Gateway Church elders for defamation and covering up the abuse.

From sexual abuse that began in the 1980s to his guilty plea more than 30 years later, this is a timeline of everything that happened in Robert Morris' legal saga.

Robert Morris will serve 6 months in Osage County Jail in Oklahoma.

A class-action lawsuit filed by church members last October claims the megachurch falsely promised members that a portion of their tithes would go toward foreign missionary work.

Robert Morris is set to appear in court again Oct. 2.

The woman who accused Gateway Church’s founding pastor Robert Morris of sexually abusing her when she was a child is suing the megachurch, Morris and his wife for defamation and failing to report the alleged abuse. Four church elders deny any wrongdoing in recent court filings.

For over a year, Gateway Church has been in search of a new pastor to guide the congregation into its next chapter following the resignation of founder Robert Morris.

Thursday's court hearing came amid an ongoing legal dispute between Gateway Church and Robert Morris after the church denied his request for millions of dollars as part of his retirement.

Morris stepped down days after allegations he sexual abused Cindy Clemishire when she was a child.

Cindy Clemishire accused Robert Morris of sexually abusing her when she was a child — claims he referred to as a "inappropriate relationship with a young lady." Clemishire is suing Morris and Gateway Church for defamation her when she went public with her claims.