Church elders named in civil lawsuit over shared nude images
A civil lawsuit filed in the names three leaders of as defendants in a case involving the alleged distribution of nude photographs without consent.
Three Placerita Bible Church leaders are named in a civil lawsuit filed in the Chatsworth Courthouse over allegations that nude photos were shared without consent. One defendant, Adam Tyson, has ties to rapper Kanye West.
A civil lawsuit filed in the names three leaders of as defendants in a case involving the alleged distribution of nude photographs without consent.
The complaint was filed last month by Alison Wilder, who alleges that her estranged husband, Andrew Wilder, obtained private images of her and shared them with church elders. The elders then allegedly shared those images further, including showing them to Alison Wilder's father during a meeting.
"She sought help in regaining those images that were allegedly shared without her consent or knowledge — and she didn't receive the help that she sought," said Katie Rabago, attorney for Alison Wilder, in a phone interview Thursday.
The L.A. County District Attorney's Office charged Andrew Wilder with a misdemeanor count of distributing a private image to cause emotional distress, commonly known as the state's revenge-porn law.
Andrew Wilder has pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to L.A. County Superior Court records. He is scheduled for trial in July at the Santa Clarita Courthouse on the misdemeanor allegation.
The civil complaint states that Alison Wilder sought to separate from Andrew Wilder after years of physical abuse. Two separate active domestic violence cases exist against Andrew Wilder, according to the filing.
The complaint identifies three men as part of the church leadership involved in the incident:
All three remain listed on the church's website, according to the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
According to the civil complaint, the three men contacted Alison Wilder's father during two counseling sessions the couple attended before their separation. At a meeting, the father was shown the illicit photos.
The complaint further alleges that Hamblin, Madrid, and Tyson then "rebuked" Alison Wilder's father for being "quarrelsome and persistently sinning" in their efforts to dissuade him from telling Alison or authorities about the photos.
A phone call Wednesday to Placerita Bible Church was not returned.
The case gained wider attention because Adam Tyson, one of the named defendants, has a documented affiliation with rapper Kanye West.
According to a previous report in XXL magazine, Tyson has been affiliated with West since the artist's Gospel period in 2019. The report noted that Tyson made suggestions regarding the rapper's more spiritual verses.
Placerita Bible Church counts approximately 350 congregants during its weekly Sunday service.
Rabago described the lawsuit as being in the early stages. Service to the defendants has been made, but the defendants remain in the initial window to respond, she said.
A case-management conference is scheduled for November 16 at the Chatsworth Courthouse.
Sources: Santa Clarita Valley Signal, L.A. County Superior Court records, XXL magazine
This article was generated with AI assistance.