NJ Minister Claimed Oral Sex Would Suck-out Evil, Four Say in Lawsuit

Four members of the Linden Presbyterian Church say in a lawsuit that they were molested and sexually assaulted by a minister who claimed to have used "Native American exorcism" that was nothing more than nonconsensual oral sex and masturbation.

Jared Staunton, Alan Meeker Jr., William Weist and a woman identified only as "H.C." accuse the Rev. William “Bill” Weaver of the sexual assaults during separate therapy sessions.

The complaint outlines why each of the plaintiffs came to Weaver, a minister at the church for nearly 40 years. The lawsuit also names the local church, the Presbytery of Elizabeth and the Presbyterian Church USA as defendants.

Staunton was dealing with the death of his father in February 2014 followed three months later by the death of his partner of 11 years.

Meeker sought therapy for anxiety, abandonment and depression in 2001.

Weist had difficulty coping with the death in 1999 of the son of the woman he would eventually marry.

H.C. sought spiritual guidance to deal with problems with her son and marital issues with her husband in 2005-2006.

The ritual performed on each of them included removing their clothes, according to to the complaint. Weaver would place placed gemstones, an angel coin, plastic bags, feathers and a magnetic strip on their bodies from head to toe to "scan" their bodies as he masturbated and performed oral sex on them and himself, according to the complaint.

Weaver sucked on the woman's naval and spit out metal pieces he claimed came from her body, according to the complaint.

The men said they did not learn of any sexual abuse by Weaver against the others until 2018 during pastoral counseling sessions. The Presbytery conducted an investigation of the allegations and concluded that Weaver had performed "multiple acts of idolatry and sexual misconduct," the lawsuit says.

Weaver resigned from the church before the results of the investigation were announced, according to the complaint.  The plaintiffs said the Presbytery would not allow them to have a lawyer present at their hearing and would not bring their findings to the attention of law enforcement.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said they brought the allegations to the attention of a number of groups including the church, the Presbytery, Linden police and the state Attorney General's Clergy Abuse Hotline. No charges have been filed, according to the police.

The accusations against Weaver were first published this month by MyCentralJersey.com.

A woman who answered the phone at the church had no comment about the allegations against Weaver.

"No comment. God bless you and take care," the woman said before hanging up.

A spokeswoman for the Presbytery of Elizabeth did not return requests for comment Wednesday.

The plaintiffs seek an unspecified amount in compensatory damages for psychological and emotional distress, loss of standing in their respective communities, injunctive relief to prevent future sexual assault, punitive damages and legal costs. The plaintiffs are represented by Toms River attorney Robert R. Fuggi.