Troy man reaches $1M settlement with Warren Co., church over alleged sexual abuse

A Troy man has reached a $1 million settlement with Warren County and the United Methodist Church after he claimed he was sexually abused as a foster child.

John Smith had failed a lawsuit under the Child Victims Act alleging he was abused by Richard Reynolds, his foster parent and pastor of the United Methodist Church. The abuse took place from 1978 to 1981 from when he was 11 to when he was 13, according to the lawsuit.

Smith had filed the litigation using the one-year lookback of the Child Victims Act that allowed people to file lawsuits after the statute of limitations had expired.

Warren County paid $750,000 and the church paid $125,000 to settle the case, according to a statement released by Smith’s law firm PfauCochran Vertetis Amala, PLLC.

Reynolds had served at North Creek Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church of Gloversville and was a foster parent for Warren County.

Smith claimed that the church turned a blind eye to the abuse and allowed him to continue in his leadership role at the church after sending him to treatment for “sexual deviancy,”

Attorney Vincent Nappo, who is representing Smith, called Warren County “negligent.”

“Warren County failed to supervise and protect our client for years on end, leaving our client vulnerable to unthinkable acts of sexual abuse by the very adult charged with his protection. No child should ever have to endure such trauma and abuse,” he said in a statement.

Nappo also faulted the church. UMC never reported the activity to law enforcement – even after more victims came forward.

“The Church sent Reynolds for sexual deviancy treatment, and then allowed Reynolds back into its congregation to continue serving in leadership positions where he would have access to children. The Church never reported Reynolds to law enforcement, and in fact, pleaded with the victim’s family to keep the abuse silent out of fear of bad publicity,” he said.

Warren County declined comment on the settlement.

A message sent to the United Methodist Church was not immediately returned.