FORMER HOPE RISING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESPONDS TO PRESS RELEASE

  

The attorney for Sherri Clement, former Executive Director of Hope Rising, has issued a response to the press release from the Hope Rising Board of Directors in regard to the lawsuit in 335^th District Court of Washington County.

Attorney Carra Miller, who represents Sherri Clement, says in her release that “the contents of the press release contained false and misleading information regarding the current and ongoing lawsuit.”  In the statement she quotes Clement as saying “I have been silent to the public about the case and my side of the story.  But after the Board published its press release, which contains many false and misleading statements that have caused me extreme grief and presented me as a heinous person, I cannot remain silent anymore.  I have to live and work in a community that I love and can no longer suppress the truth in my belief that somehow the Board members would come to realize their actions have been very unchristian, but obviously, that hasn’t happened.”

In a March 1^st hearing, the 335^th District Court of Washington County determined that Clement had no standing to bring the suit she filed in the name of Hope Rising, and her claims were dismissed with prejudice to her ever filing them again.  In telling Clement’s side, her attorney, Miller, says while one of the cases was dismissed another is still pending in 335^th District Court.  According to court records, another hearing is scheduled for April 14^th before Judge Carson Campbell.

Miller says she filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss a portion of the lawsuit that will later be brought up in a California court, as Hope Rising is a California Corporation.  She also asserts that the rest of Clement’s claims in the lawsuit against Hope Rising board members Timothy Webb, Jennifer Hohman, Al Bachman and Layla Salek have yet to be heard by the court.  Clement’s suit claims the Board improperly removed her from her position as Executive Director based on false allegations.  She also accuses the Board of slander, libel, conversion and that they violated the bylaws of the organization.  As for the Board’s claim that Clement has Hope Rising property that she refuses to give back, Clement says she has made multiple attempts to make arrangements to return those items, but has been unsuccessful.

Clement founded Hope Rising in 2012 to rescue and restore victims of human trafficking.  Since being removed from her position as Executive Director last summer, Clement says she has started a new organization that will serve victims of human trafficking.  She says the unfortunate events that have occurred at Hope Rising will not cause her to cease from serving in the capacity for which she was called.