A man filed a lawsuit against the Durham Rescue Mission, claiming a volunteer coordinator sexually assaulted him several times.
In an April filing with Durham County Superior Court, the plaintiff is referred to as “John Doe.” He accuses former volunteer coordinator Leonard Eugene Sutherland of unwanted groping and kissing. The plaintiff alleged the incidents happened four or five times a week and “sometimes multiple times per day” between April 2023 and February 2024.
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In a statement, the nonprofit said it fired the worker after learning about the allegations.
"We have received the lawsuit filed by a former Durham Rescue Mission client that includes allegations of a serious nature involving a former staff member, who originally came to us as a client,” the nonprofit’s statement reads. “We take these allegations very seriously.
“The safety and well-being of the individuals we serve is of utmost importance and central to our mission. We maintain rigorous policies concerning appropriate conduct and require all staff to complete anti-harassment training to promote a safe and respectful environment. When the alleged incident was first brought to our attention, we immediately addressed it in accordance with our policies, and the individual was terminated from our organization that same day.”
The lawsuit claims Sutherland was allowed to remain in Durham Rescue Mission housing for about a month after he was fired.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was homeless and struggling with alcohol addiction when he came to the Durham Rescue Mission in April 2023.
Also, the lawsuit states the nonprofit failed to support the plaintiff's "desire to report ... Sutherland's abuse to the police and actively discouraged him from doing so."
The plaintiff seeks $75,000 in damages from Sutherland and from Rescue Mission Inc. and its affiliated nonprofit Rescue Legacy Fund. The suit also states the plaintiff has requested a trial.