Preventing Sexual Misconduct in Spiritual Communities with Carol Merchasin

July 24, 2023 - Carol Merchasin spoke to us on these four topics, and also offered opportunities for questions and discussion:

Power, consent and the law

Coercive tactics of abusers

What every organization needs to prevent sexual misconduct

Recent cases against spiritual organizations and their leader

CAROL MERCHASIN is an attorney who leads a practice group litigating sexual misconduct in religious, faith-based and spiritual communities at McAllister Olivarius. She was previously a partner in the Philadelphia office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and director of Morgan Lewis Resources, where she conducted dozens of workplace investigations and taught investigative techniques to human resource professionals at many Fortune 50 companies.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Carol and her perspective on abuse of power in spiritual contexts

00:02:24 - My Journey as a Lawyer Investigating Sexual Misconduct

00:05:13 - Investigating Sexual Misconduct in Spiritual Communities

00:08:13 - Understanding Consent in Spiritual Communities

00:11:59 - Liability for Sexual Assault in Spiritual Communities

00:15:29 - Understanding Sexual Assault and Consent

00:19:03 - Sexual Harassment and Organizational Negligence

00:22:27 - The Federal Sex Trafficking Law

00:25:49 - Manipulation and Coercion within Organizations

00:29:00 - Individual Justice and the Broken Criminal Justice System

00:32:08 - Recognizing False Light in Spiritual Communities

00:34:55 - Criteria for False Accusations

00:37:45 - Defamation and Whistleblowers

00:40:30 - Differences between Sexual Abuse in Spiritual and Corporate America

00:44:23 - Consent, Teachings, and Sexual Misconduct

00:48:22 - Policies and Processes for Addressing Human Trafficking

00:50:58 - Cult-Like Behavior and Psychological Shift

00:53:41 - Creating and Enforcing Community Policies

00:56:20 - Thoughtful Reporting Process

00:59:18 - Recourse for Abuse in Psychedelic Therapy Relationships

01:03:15 - Red Flags and Trauma Survivors

01:06:24 - Policy Considerations for Preventing Sexual Misconduct

01:08:47 - The Nuance of Teacher-Student Relationships

01:10:46 - Policies for Maintaining Decorum

01:12:32 - Preventing Child Molestation

01:15:03 - Consent and Rules in Communities and Workplaces

01:16:39 - Managing Relationships with Students

01:18:30 - Hypocrisy in Celibacy and Exposing Corruption

01:21:11 - Potential Legal Issues with Nondisclosure Agreements

01:23:05 - Survivor Support and Legal Advocacy

01:26:16 - Upholding the Teachings