Press Release: Apologia Church Sues Check My Church and Former Attendee Amid Allegations of Misconduct
- Sarah Leann Young
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
On October 3, 2025, pastors Jeff Durbin, Luke Pierson, and Zack Morgan of Apologia Church in Mesa, Arizona, filed a defamation lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court (Case No. CV2025-036002) against us (Sarah Young and Joe Young of Check My Church), as well as former church attendees of Apologia Church, Hailey and Cameron Merris.
The suit appears to be related to my public reporting and documentation regarding the alleged mishandling of confidential marriage counseling information, gossip, and character assassination against former attendee, Hailey Merris. These claims were first brought to light by Hailey Merris in her viral TikTok videos and then in a detailed report I published at checkmychurch.org.
According to the public court docket, the case has been placed on the Maricopa County Superior Court’s dismissal calendar due to a lack of prosecution. If the plaintiffs don't take further action, the court may dismiss the lawsuit in the coming weeks.
If Apologia Church takes further action, we will need to hire legal representation to defend us, so we've launched a GoFundMe campaign for any potential legal and court fees we may face if the suit proceeds.
You can support us by donating to the GoFundMe here.
Regardless of what happens, we remain fully committed to reporting the truth to protect the sheep, advocate for survivors, and push for transparency and accountability in Christian ministries. We will continue updating this page and our social media channels as the situation develops.
Today, we are releasing our official press release to the public regarding this lawsuit. You can read it in full by downloading the PDF or viewing it below.
Thank you for standing with survivors.
For Christ & His Kingdom
Sarah Young
Co-founder, Check My Church
