Fort Worth animal shelter employee raped teen volunteer, lawsuit says; charges filed
A teenage girl and her parents filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Fort Worth alleging a city employee repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl at the city’s animal shelter.
The alleged sexual assaults against the then 15-year-old included oral sex, sexual intercourse and pornographic images, according to the lawsuit. The assaults took place at the Fort Worth Animal Care and Adoption Center on Martin Street when the girl worked there as a volunteer, the suit says.
In March, the teen told her parents, who alerted Fort Worth police and city officials, according to the lawsuit which was filed in Tarrant County.
A police investigation led to the arrest of 31-year-old Christian Morgan, of Fort Worth. He was charged with sexual assault of a child under 17, and a Tarrant County grand jury indicted him in July.
Morgan, who is married, was an animal technician at the shelter at the time of the assaults, according to the lawsuit.
Morgan could not be reached Wednesday for comment. His attorney Dominick Marsala of Denton declined to comment Wednesday and said he advised Morgan not to comment.
“The employee involved has been terminated and we are working with law enforcement,” said Michelle Gutt, a Fort Worth city spokeswoman, in a Wednesday email. “It is our understanding that the District Attorney’s office has filed criminal charges against the prior employee. We do not comment on pending legal matters and will not be providing any further comment at this time.”
The teen and her parents are seeking more than $1 million in damages.
Generally, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram does not identify people who report being victims of sexual assault. In the lawsuit, the teen is referred to with the pseudonym Jane Doe.
Attorney Edith K. Thomas of Fort Worth, one of the attorneys for the teen and her parents, could not be reached Wednesday.
The lawsuit obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Wednesday gave this account:
Jane Doe, who had just turned 15, became a volunteer at Fort Worth’s Animal Care and Adoption Center, 4900 Martin St., in April 2018.
Fort Worth’s volunteer program is run by a volunteer coordinator who assists running the program for all departments.
The teen, who was not paid, exceeded 40 hours per week at the shelter with little supervision and performed work that was outside of the scope of her work description such as breaking up dog fights, according to the lawsuit.
She was left to work alone with a much older male employee who would be later identified in the lawsuit as Christian Morgan. Morgan was hired on June 12, 2017.
As Jane Doe worked with Morgan, he began to groom her to be compliant with his sexually predatory desires, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit stated Morgan initiated graphic sexual conversations, sent pornographic images via text messages, exposed his penis and ultimately had sexual contact with Jane Doe.
Morgan and Jane Doe never met away from the animal shelter.
The lawsuit noted that Fort Worth policies and customs have allowed young volunteers to work closely and alone with older male city employees.
The lawsuit claimed adult city employees including supervisors were aware that Morgan had a sexual interest in Jane Doe, but did nothing to prevent harm.
Morgan and Jane Doe spent several hours a day together isolated from other employees, and the lawsuit says city employees were aware of sexual contact between the two.
Morgan, who was released from jail on $10,000 bail, has a hearing on his case scheduled for Dec. 10 in Criminal District Court No. 4 in Fort Worth, according to court records.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 5:54 PM.
