NEWS PROVIDED BY
Anglican Watch
Sept. 9, 2025
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 9, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, reports that the alleged victim of multiple sexual assaults by gay church members and clergy at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue has sued the church, the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and various persons allegedly involved in the situation.
In a suit filed in New York County, the plaintiff, whose name Anglican Watch is withholding as the victim of sexual assault, alleges that:
• Gay Episcopal priest Mark Schultz, then employed by St. Thomas and residing at the St. Thomas Choir School, sexually assaulted him.
• Schultz’s husband, pornographer Erich Erickson, also sexually assaulted him.
• Bill Davis, a retired RN and St. Thomas Church employee, sexually assaulted him.
• The Church and Diocese, acting by and through Bishop Matthew Heyd, responded to complaints of sexual assault by retaliating. This retaliation included banning a Plaintiff from the church and engaging in a smear campaign against the Plaintiff, falsely alleging to the church community and Plaintiff’s employer that Plaintiff was dangerous, had assaulted church employees, and had made terroristic threats.
Additionally, the suit alleges various specific details of sexual misconduct, including a gay parishioner showing the victim a picture of the parishioner in fishnet stockings, while telling him that “all the action happens upstairs” at the church.
The lawsuit, filed by New York attorney Cody Warner, seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees, costs, and disbursements.
St. Thomas, which maintains the only Anglican residential choir school program in the United States, has done nothing to address the allegations of sexual assault, with the Rev. Mark Schultz and Erich Erickson still residing at the St. Thomas Choir School. Additionally, Schultz continues to officiate at church services.
St. Thomas was previously the scene of credible allegations of child sexual abuse involving boys at the Choir School.
A redacted copy of the civil complaint is available on the Anglican Watch website.
Anglican Watch is the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church. Founded in 2015, the organization addresses sexual and non-sexual abuse in the Episcopal Church and other faith traditions.
SOURCE Anglican Watch
CONTACT: Eric Bonetti, 240-380-2567, eric@anglicanwatch.com