Alleged Victim Sues New Mexico Drug Rehab and Supporting Church

Church ‘adamantly denies’ the allegations.

Earlier this month, a woman going by the pseudonym Jane Doe named drug rehabilitation Steelbridge Ministries and Legacy Church in Albuquerque in a lawsuit alleging she suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Travis Clark when he was the executive director of Steelbridge.

Video screenshot via @Steelbridge

According to the lawsuit, Steelbridge Ministries is a faith-based drug rehabilitation center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was formerly known as the Albuquerque Rescue Mission.

Doe allegedly struggled with a substance use addiction and in 2020 was ordered to complete the Steelbridge inpatient drug program. She claims Clark used his position as executive director to take advantage of her vulnerability and engage in sexual contact with her.

She said the abuse continued for several months until she felt forced to leave the program early. Her early departure violated the terms of her probation, and Doe returned to jail, the court documents state.

The lawsuit names Legacy Church, claiming there is a connection between Steelbridge and the church. “Steelbridge Ministries became a part of the Legacy Church Family in 2019,” the lawsuit asserts as a quote from the Legacy Church 2023 annual report.

All members of its board of directors are affiliated with Legacy Church, the lawsuit alleges, claiming that Steve Smothermon, the senior pastor of Legacy Church, makes hiring decisions for Steelbridge.

Doe said she reported Clark’s abuse to her aunt, Bertha Gomez, who she claims was a “respected figure at Legacy Church.” The lawsuit states that Gomez then allegedly reported the abuse to Legacy Church leadership. Not long after, Clark left his employment at Steelbridge.

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However, the lawsuit claims that Legacy and Steelbridge did not inform another rehabilitation center, Crossroads for Women, about Clark, where he was then employed in a position with access to more vulnerable women.

Alternatively, Doe asserts that if Legacy and Steelbridge warned Crossroads, then the center chose to ignore the warnings.

Legacy Church “adamantly denies the allegations in the lawsuit…and will vigorously defend itself against these false assertions,” a press release states, calling the allegations unproven and specious. Specifically, Legacy Church claims that Smothermon was not on the Steelbridge board of directors nor involved with the ministry at the time of Clark’s hiring and that Gomez did not hold any leadership position at the church. It also denies that Gomez reported Doe’s allegations to the church.

Legacy Church and Steelbridge Ministries are separate nonprofit entities and have separate leadership, operations, personnel, policies, and financial administration, the church stated, adding that the two only have one board member in common. Steelbridge is just one of many charities financially supported by Legacy Church.

The church also noted that the local police department conducted an investigation of Clark in 2021 and forwarded its findings to the district attorney’s office, who never brought charges.

“It is Legacy Church’s understanding that Steelbridge Ministries conducted its own investigation of the events which form the basis of the lawsuit and came to a conclusion that Jane Doe 1’s assertions were unfounded,” the church’s press release states.

The lawsuit includes claims for negligence against Steelbridge and Legacy and a claim for sexual battery against Clark. It also attempts to hold Steelbridge and Legacy vicariously liable for the claim of battery “under New Mexico’s legal theory of ‘aided-in-agency.’”

That principle makes an employer liable for the actions of an employee when “an employee has by reason of his employment substantial power or authority to control important elements of a [battery] victim’s life or livelihood.”

In this case, Doe argues that Clark had the power to remove her from the Steelbridge rehabilitation program and thus had substantial control over her life.

Steelbridge did not reply to a request for comment before the time of publication.

Note: This article was updated on 1/2/2025 to include additional denials by Legacy Church and a link to the church’s press release.

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