Former Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills has filed a request for a “structured judicial settlement conference” in his lawsuit against the Southern Baptist Convention and other defendants.
Sills originally filed the suit in November 2022, claiming a report from Guidepost Solutions about alleged mishandling of abuse claims by the SBC Executive Committee “perpetuated a false narrative” regarding Sills and his relationship with the late Jennifer Lyell.
Defendants not interested
Sills’ latest motion, filed Sept. 11, requests a settlement conference in early October. Defendants have reported they are not interested in such a conference.
The motion claims that “the SBC has recently expressed positions about the Guidepost Report that are consistent with Plaintiffs’ allegations and evidence in relation to David Sills.” It specifically refers to comments made by Florida pastor Willy Rice in the past couple of years.
In March 2025, when the Department of Justice closed its investigation of the SBC having brought no sexual abuse-related charges, Rice posted on X that the investigations had been a “snipe hunt” and a “ruse to destroy good people and gain power.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Laura Erlanson and originally published by Baptist Press.
