The parents of a 13-year-old girl who was assaulted by a music director at four years ago sued the Denver church Friday, alleging its leaders failed to report the allegations to authorities as required by Colorado’s mandatory reporting laws.
The church’s lead pastor, Andrew Farhat, instead accused the girl of lying about being raped and pressured her into recanting her allegations during a face-to-face meeting with the girl, her father and the music director, Diego Marroquin, three months after the 2022 attack, the girl’s attorneys alleged in the complaint, brought by Denver law firm Rathod Mohamedbhai.
Farhat and others at the church and school did not report the allegations of sexual assault to outside authorities, the complaint alleges, even though he and others were required to do so under Colorado’s mandatory reporting laws, which require some professionals to report any suspected child abuse for further investigation.
Farhat did not immediately return a message seeking comment Friday. The girl was identified by her initials in the complaint, and The Denver Post typically does not name survivors of sexual assault.
The 13-year-old girl attended St. John’s School on South Franklin Street in Denver at the time of the May 2022 incident. She alleges that Marroquin, now 39, got her alone after school and sexually assaulted her in the church’s balcony. The girl ran away after the assault and went to the school pick-up line, where she met her mother, according to the complaint.
The teenager told two friends about the incident the next day, and then stayed in contact with Marroquin during that summer. In voice memos in June 2022, Marroquin referenced a “relationship” with the 13-year-old girl, according to the lawsuit. She became pregnant and secretly obtained abortion pills after the assault, according to the lawsuit.
Church and school leaders became aware of the allegations in August 2022. In response, Farhat called the girl, her father and Marroquin into his office, where he chastised the girl for spreading false rumors about being raped by Marroquin, told her to ask for forgiveness and ordered her to keep quiet, according to the lawsuit. The girl then denied the allegations and Farhat did no further meaningful investigation, according to the complaint.
“My daughter was yelled at that she was a liar, a slanderer, that she needed to apologize and beg forgiveness,” said Aaron Van Dam, the girl’s father. “Extremely hurtful, caustic things for a faith leader to allege. And to not try to piece it out and say, ‘Is there legal involvement needed, this is over our heads,’ rather than try to sweep it under the rug.”
The girl’s parents took the matter to the police themselves, and Marroquin was charged with felony sex assault on a child. He later pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor — a felony — and misdemeanor assault. He was required to register as a sex offender and was deported to Guatemala, where he is a citizen, according to the lawsuit.
Leaders at St. John’s did not properly vet Marroquin, an immigrant who did not have legal status to work in the United States, before he was hired in 2021, according to the lawsuit, which says a required background check would have revealed his work status. The man was “well known” for having inappropriate boundaries with women and students, including being flirtatious and touchy, the lawsuit alleges.
After the May 2022 assault, at least two other girls said Marroquin showed them videos and pictures of people participating in sexual acts.
One girl said she did not come forward right away because “everyone loved Marroquin and no one believed (the 13-year-old girl) when she reported her rape,” so the girl believed her claims would be similarly rejected. When one of the girls did tell Farhat about the sexual videos and pictures in October 2022, he mused that Marroquin might have actually assaulted the Van Dam’s daughter, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit seeks relief under Colorado’s Child Sex Assault Accountability Act, as well as claims for negligent hiring and supervision, emotional distress and false imprisonment.
The Van Dams’ daughter, who is now 17, hasn’t been able to attend school in person since the attack, and she struggles to trust friends and adults. The family moved out of Colorado and finds it difficult to attend church and maintain their faith.
“The biggest part for us is accountability,” Van Dam said. “For the safety of future children, so their families, their children don’t have to go through this horrible experience that we have.”
