Protestant Accountability Terms and Conditions of Use
Last Updated: [4/14/26]
MANDATORY ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE
BEFORE ACCESSING THE CONTENT OF THIS SITE, YOU MUST AFFIRMATIVELY CHECK THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT BOX CONFIRMING THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE. By checking that box and accessing the Site, you represent that you are at least 18 years of age and that you accept these Terms in their entirety. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THESE TERMS, DO NOT CHECK THE BOX AND DO NOT PROCEED TO THE SITE CONTENT.
The checkbox acknowledgment constitutes an electronic signature under applicable law and is legally binding to the same extent as a handwritten signature. The Site will retain a record of your acknowledgment, including the date and time it was provided.
CONTENT WARNING AND SENSITIVE MATERIAL
This Site contains detailed accounts of alleged and confirmed sexual abuse, misconduct, and exploitation committed by or within Protestant religious institutions. This content may be disturbing, traumatizing, or triggering, particularly for survivors of sexual abuse. By proceeding past the acknowledgment screen, you confirm that you are prepared to encounter such material and that your access it voluntarily.
Nothing on this Site is intended to re-traumatize survivors. If you are a survivor in need of support, resources are available through RAINN (www.rainn.org, 1-800-656-HOPE) and other national and local organizations.
Agreement to Terms
These Terms and Conditions of Use (“Terms”) constitute a legally binding agreement between you, whether personally or on behalf of an entity (“you”), and Protestant Accountability, Inc. (“Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), concerning your access to and use of the https://www.protestantaccountability.org website and any other media form, media channel, mobile website, or application related thereto (collectively, the “Site”).
We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to make changes or modifications to these Terms at any time and for any reason. We will alert you to any changes by updating the “Last Updated” date above. Continued use of the Site after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. It is your responsibility to review these Terms periodically.
The Site is intended for users who are at least 18 years old. Persons under the age of 18 are not permitted to use or register for the Site. The information provided on the Site is not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity where such use would be contrary to applicable law or regulation.
Purpose of the Site
Protestant Accountability is a nonprofit accountability resource dedicated to documenting public allegations, investigations, findings, and public records related to sexual abuse and misconduct within Protestant religious institutions and organizations. The Site serves survivors, researchers, journalists, attorneys, policymakers, and the general public by consolidating publicly available information to promote transparency, institutional accountability, and the protection of potential future victims.
Nothing on this Site is intended to serve as legal advice. Users who have been victimized or who are aware of ongoing abuse are encouraged to contact law enforcement and consult with qualified legal counsel.
Presumption of Innocence; Accuracy Disclaimer
All persons are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Unless specifically noted otherwise, no representation is made by the inclusion of a person’s name or identifying information on this Site as to their guilt or innocence of any criminal charges, nor as to their potential civil liability. Information published on the Site reflects allegations, public records, institutional statements, or reported findings, and does not constitute a determination of guilt or liability by Protestant Accountability.
While we strive for accuracy, we make no warranties as to the completeness, currency, or accuracy of any information on the Site. If you believe information posted about you or another individual is factually inaccurate, you may submit a written correction request through the contact form on the Site. We will review such requests and, in our sole discretion, determine what action, if any, to take.
Survivor Privacy and Protection
The identity of survivors and victims of sexual abuse is treated with the utmost sensitivity. The Site does not knowingly publish the names or identifying information of survivors without their express consent. Users are strictly prohibited from:
1. Using the Site’s content to identify, locate, contact, or expose any person who is or may be a survivor or victim of sexual abuse;
2. Using any information obtained from the Site to intimidate, harass, retaliate against, or discourage any survivor, victim, witness, or reporter of abuse from pursuing legal remedies or reporting to authorities; and
3. Using any information obtained from the Site in any manner that would violate any survivor’s right to privacy, confidentiality, or personal safety.
Use of Site Content in Legal Proceedings
Consistent with the Site’s mission of accountability, survivors, their attorneys, advocates, law enforcement, and journalists may print, copy, download, cite, and use materials from this Site in connection with civil litigation, criminal proceedings, regulatory investigations, journalism, and public advocacy, provided that:
1. Such use is consistent with applicable law;
2. The material is not altered or misrepresented; and
3. Protestant Accountability is appropriately cited as the secondary source.
We request, though do not require, that users who intend to use Site content in legal proceedings notify us through the contact form so that we may be aware of relevant proceedings.
Intellectual Property Rights
Unless otherwise indicated, the Site is our proprietary property and all source code, databases, functionality, software, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs, and graphics on the Site (collectively, the “Content”) and the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein (the “Marks”) are owned or controlled by us or licensed to us, and are protected by copyright and trademark laws and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws of the United States, foreign jurisdictions, and international conventions.
The Content and Marks are provided on the Site “AS IS” for your information, personal use, and lawful public-interest purposes only. Except as expressly provided in these Terms, no part of the Site and no Content or Marks may be copied, reproduced, aggregated, republished, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, encoded, translated, transmitted, distributed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose without our express prior written permission.
You are granted a limited license to access and use the Site and to download or print a copy of any portion of the Content for personal, non-commercial, journalistic, legal, educational, or advocacy use consistent with the Site’s mission.
User Representations
By using the Site, you represent and warrant that:
1. All registration information you submit will be true, accurate, current, and complete;
2. You will maintain the accuracy of such information and promptly update it as necessary;
3. You have the legal capacity to agree to and comply with these Terms;
4. You are not a minor in the jurisdiction in which you reside;
5. You will not access the Site through automated or non-human means, whether through a bot, script, or otherwise;
6. You will not use the Site for any illegal or unauthorized purpose; and
7. Your use of the Site will not violate any applicable law or regulation.
If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Site. We may, in our sole discretion, forbid certain individuals, organizations, or institutions from accessing or using the Site, including any organization or institution that is or has been the subject of allegations documented on the Site.
Prohibited Activities
You may not access or use the Site for any purpose other than that for which we make the Site available. As a user of the Site, you agree not to:
1. Systematically retrieve data or other content from the Site to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us;
2. Make any unauthorized use of the Site, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretenses;
3. Use the Site to advertise or offer to sell goods and services;
4. Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Site, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of the Site and/or the Content contained therein;
5. Engage in unauthorized framing of or linking to the Site;
6. Trick, defraud, or mislead us or other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords;
7. Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct;
8. Engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools;
9. Interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on the Site or the networks or services connected to the Site;
10. Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user;
11. Use the Site as part of any effort to compete with us or otherwise use the Site and/or the Content for any revenue-generating endeavor or commercial enterprise without our consent;
12. Decipher, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any of the software comprising or in any way making up a part of the Site;
13. Attempt to bypass any measures of the Site designed to prevent or restrict access to the Site, or any portion of the Site;
14. Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees, volunteers, or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Site;
15. Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content;
16. Upload or transmit viruses, Trojan horses, or other malicious code that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Site;
17. Use the Site in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations;
18. Use the Site or any information obtained from the Site to identify, expose, intimidate, harass, or retaliate against any survivor, victim, witness, advocate, or attorney involved in abuse-related proceedings;
19. Contact or attempt to contact any person named on the Site as an alleged abuser or as a person associated with institutional cover-ups for purposes of alerting that person to the existence of information about them on the Site or to the identities of survivors; or
20. Use the Site or its content to disparage, discredit, or undermine the accounts of survivors of sexual abuse or to promote institutions or individuals implicated in sexual misconduct.
User Generated Contributions
The Site may invite you to submit tips, corrections, documentation, or other materials (collectively, “Contributions”). When you create or make available any Contributions, you represent and warrant that:
1. The creation, distribution, and transmission of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including copyright, patent, trademark, or trade secret rights, of any third party;
2. You are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, releases, and permissions to submit such Contributions;
3. Your Contributions are not false, inaccurate, or misleading to the best of your knowledge;
4. Your Contributions are not unsolicited advertising, promotional materials, spam, mass mailings, or other forms of solicitation;
5. Your Contributions are not obscene, lewd, harassing, libelous, slanderous, or otherwise objectionable;
6. Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule;
7. Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party;
8. Your Contributions do not contain any material that solicits personal information from or exploits minors in any way; and
9. Your Contributions do not otherwise violate any provision of these Terms or any applicable law or regulation.
Contribution License
By submitting Contributions to the Site, you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, use, copy, reproduce, disclose, publish, store, and distribute such Contributions for purposes consistent with the Site’s mission of accountability and public information. You retain ownership of your Contributions. We are not liable for any statements or representations in your Contributions, and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims arising therefrom.
We have the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, to edit, redact, re-categorize, or delete any Contributions at any time and for any reason, without notice. We have no obligation to publish, retain, or monitor your Contributions.
Site Management
We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to: (1) monitor the Site for violations of these Terms; (2) take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in our sole discretion, violates the law or these Terms, including reporting such user to law enforcement authorities; (3) in our sole discretion, refuse, restrict access to, or limit the availability of any of your Contributions or any portion thereof; and (4) otherwise manage the Site in a manner designed to protect the integrity of the Site’s mission, protect the privacy of survivors, and facilitate the proper functioning of the Site.
Third-Party Websites and Content
The Site contains links to other websites (“Third-Party Websites”) as well as articles, text, photographs, and other content originating from third parties (“Third-Party Content”). Such Third-Party Websites and Third-Party Content are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy by us, and we are not responsible for any Third-Party Websites or Third-Party Content, including their content, accuracy, reliability, or privacy practices. Inclusion of or linking to any Third-Party Websites or Third-Party Content does not imply approval or endorsement by us. If you decide to leave the Site and access Third-Party Websites, you do so at your own risk, and you should be aware that these Terms no longer govern.
Submissions
Any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback, tips, or other information regarding the Site (“Submissions”) provided by you to us are non-confidential. We shall own all rights in such Submissions, including all intellectual property rights, and shall be entitled to use and disseminate them for any lawful purpose, without acknowledgment or compensation to you, subject to our obligation to protect survivor privacy.
Privacy Policy
We care about data privacy and security. By using the Site, you agree to be bound by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference and is accessible on the Site. The Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information. Please be advised that the Site is hosted in the United States. If you access the Site from outside the United States, including from the European Union, you consent to the transfer and processing of your data in the United States in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable law.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), if we receive actual knowledge that a child under 13 has provided personal information without requisite parental consent, we will delete such information as quickly as reasonably practicable.
Data Protection and Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights with respect to your personal data, including the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict processing of your personal information, or to object to certain processing activities. If you are a resident of the European Economic Area, you may have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you are a California resident, you may have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). To exercise any such rights, please contact us through the contact form on the Site. We will respond to verifiable requests within the time periods required by applicable law.
Term and Termination
THESE TERMS SHALL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT WHILE YOU USE THE SITE. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE TERMS, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES) TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE TERMS OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SITE OR DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT AND ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.
If we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress.
Modifications and Interruptions
We reserve the right to change, modify, or remove the contents of the Site at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion without notice. We have no obligation to update any information on our Site. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue all or part of the Site without notice at any time. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Site.
We cannot guarantee the Site will be available at all times. We may experience hardware, software, or other problems or perform maintenance that results in interruptions, delays, or errors. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use the Site during any downtime or discontinuance.
Governing Law
These Terms and your use of the Site are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida applicable to agreements made and to be entirely performed within the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict of law principles.
Dispute Resolution
Informal Negotiations. To expedite resolution and control the cost of any dispute, controversy, or claim related to these Terms (each a “Dispute”), the parties agree to first attempt to negotiate any Dispute informally for at least thirty (30) days before initiating arbitration. Such informal negotiations commence upon written notice from one party to the other.
Binding Arbitration. If the parties are unable to resolve a Dispute through informal negotiations, the Dispute will be finally and exclusively resolved by binding arbitration. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WITHOUT THIS PROVISION, YOU WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO SUE IN COURT AND HAVE A JURY TRIAL. The arbitration shall be commenced and conducted under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), available at www.adr.org. The arbitration may be conducted in person or online. The arbitrator must follow applicable law. Except where otherwise required by the applicable AAA rules or applicable law, the arbitration will take place in Volusia County, Florida.
Restrictions. Any arbitration shall be limited to the Dispute between the parties individually. To the full extent permitted by law: (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis; and (c) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons.
Exceptions. The following Disputes are not subject to the above provisions concerning informal negotiations and binding arbitration: (a) any Dispute seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any intellectual property rights of a party; (b) any Dispute related to or arising from allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, or unauthorized use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief.
In no event shall any Dispute brought by either party be commenced more than two (2) years after the cause of action arose.
Disclaimer
THE SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE BASIS. YOU AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE SITE WILL BE AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE AND YOUR USE THEREOF, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE SITE’S CONTENT OR THE CONTENT OF ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO THE SITE AND WE WILL ASSUME NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY (1) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT AND MATERIALS; (2) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE; (3) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN; (4) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SITE; (5) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE SITE BY ANY THIRD PARTY; OR (6) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT AND MATERIALS OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE SITE.
Limitations of Liability
IN NO EVENT WILL WE OR OUR DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, VOLUNTEERS, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFIT, LOST REVENUE, LOSS OF DATA, OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, OUR LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE ACTION WILL AT ALL TIMES BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID, IF ANY, BY YOU TO US. CERTAIN STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.
Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless, including our subsidiaries, affiliates, and all of our respective officers, agents, partners, volunteers, and employees, from and against any loss, damage, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, made by any third party due to or arising out of: (1) your Contributions; (2) your use of the Site; (3) breach of these Terms; (4) any breach of your representations and warranties set forth in these Terms; (5) your violation of the rights of a third party, including but not limited to intellectual property rights; or (6) any harmful act toward any other user of the Site or any survivor, victim, or witness of abuse with whom you came into contact through or as a result of the Site. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we reserve the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, and you agree to cooperate with our defense of such claims.
User Data
We will maintain certain data that you transmit to the Site for the purpose of managing the performance of the Site, as well as data relating to your use of the Site. Although we perform regular routine backups of data, you are solely responsible for all data that you transmit or that relates to any activity you have undertaken using the Site. You agree that we shall have no liability to you for any loss or corruption of any such data, and you hereby waive any right of action against us arising from any such loss or corruption.
Electronic Communications, Transactions, and Signatures
Visiting the Site, sending us emails, completing online forms, and checking the mandatory acknowledgment box constitute electronic communications. You consent to receive electronic communications, and you agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications we provide to you electronically, via email and on the Site, satisfy any legal requirement that such communication be in writing. YOUR CHECKBOX ACKNOWLEDGMENT CONSTITUTES AN ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE AND IS LEGALLY BINDING. YOU HEREBY AGREE TO THE USE OF ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES, CONTRACTS, ORDERS, AND OTHER RECORDS, AND TO ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF NOTICES, POLICIES, AND RECORDS OF TRANSACTIONS INITIATED OR COMPLETED BY US OR VIA THE SITE.
Corrections and Accuracy Requests
There may be information on the Site that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions and to change or update the information on the Site at any time, without prior notice. If you believe any information on the Site is factually inaccurate, you may submit a written correction request through the contact form on the Site, providing specific details of the alleged inaccuracy and supporting documentation. We will review such requests in good faith and respond within a reasonable time, but we are not obligated to make any corrections requested.
Miscellaneous
These Terms and any policies or operating rules posted by us on the Site constitute the entire agreement and understanding between you and us. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. These Terms operate to the fullest extent permissible by law. We may assign any or all of our rights and obligations to others at any time. We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, delay, or failure to act caused by any cause beyond our reasonable control. If any provision or part of a provision of these Terms is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part is deemed severable from these Terms and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. There is no joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship created between you and us as a result of these Terms or use of the Site.
Contact Us
In order to resolve a complaint regarding the Site, submit a correction request, or receive further information regarding use of the Site, please contact us using the web contact form on this Site. All formal legal notices should be sent in writing to the mailing address provided on the Site.