Orange County Court Rejects Crossline Community Church's Bid to Unmask Alleged Child Sexual Abuse Victim
Judge finds survivor's privacy interest "extremely strong and fully justified," allowing woman allegedly filmed nude as a child by a church employee to proceed as Jane Doe
SANTA ANA, CA — A judge in Orange County Superior Court has ruled that a woman who alleges she was secretly filmed nude as a child by a Crossline Community Church employee may proceed with her civil lawsuit against the church using the pseudonym "Jane Doe," rejecting the church's argument that the public has a right to know her identity.
According to Jane Doe's complaint, she was a minor child attending Crossline Community Church with her family beginning around 2006. The church later hired an employee, Jacob Melvin Hart, as its Production, Web, and Media Director, despite his prior voyeurism conviction and admitted sexual addiction. Around 2012 or 2013, when Jane Doe's family needed a computer for her to start the school year, Hart allegedly offered them a refurbished computer of his own through their connections with the Church.
Federal investigators determined in June 2025 that Hart had installed software on the device enabling him to remotely access and monitor it. Hart was detained on June 21, 2025, at Miami International Airport, and a search of his devices by U.S. Customs and Border Protection allegedly recovered dozens of videos of child sexual abuse material and roughly 160 AI-generated sexual images of minors. After Hart's arrest on federal charges, investigators notified Jane Doe's family that they had recovered seven videos of Jane Doe filmed nude, without her knowledge, as she showered and dressed in her own bedroom.
The Court rejected the church’s claim that "the public has the right to know who is making accusations against a church for conduct committed by a non-party criminal." In a July 2026 ruling, the Honorable Shawn Nelson weighed the arguments of both sides and found that protecting the privacy of the victim under the circumstances presented was "extremely strong and fully justified," granting Jane Doe's motion to proceed under a pseudonym.
"A church that put a man with a known history of voyeurism and sexual addiction in charge of its media and technology, and then gave him unfettered access to children at the Church, does not get to force that survivor to give up her privacy before she's even had her day in court," said Meagan Verschueren, an attorney at Singleton Schreiber representing Jane Doe. " Survivors of institutional abuse are already deciding whether it's safe to come forward at all. They shouldn't have to weigh that decision against being publicly identified as a child victim of sexual exploitation."
The case is Jane Doe v. Crossline Community Church, et al., Case No. 30-2026-01540253-CU-PO-CJC, filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange, before the Honorable Shawn Nelson.
Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm specializing in civil rights, sexual abuse, mass torts, and personal injury/wrongful death. With over a decade of commitment to justice, the firm stands up for marginalized and harmed communities. As leaders in litigating sexual assault and abuse, Singleton Schreiber relentlessly pursues accountability for perpetrators and enabling institutions. Home to the nation’s largest fire litigation practice, the firm has represented more than 30,000 wildfire and explosion victims and played leading roles in cases such as the 2025 Eaton Fire, Moss Landing Battery Fire, Esparto Fireworks Explosion, and the 2023 Maui Fires. Singleton Schreiber is also pursuing cases against Tesla for its misrepresented autopilot system, leading national hair relaxer litigation, and advocating for survivors of abuse involving major hotel chains. The firm fights to restore dignity and secure justice for all who have suffered systemic wrongdoing.
