The Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), a Christian homeschooling program based in Oakbrook, Illinois, was sued last Tuesday by five women for "sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and inappropriate/unauthorized touching."
The lawsuit, initially reported by The Washington Post, claimed that the organization and members of its board committed these sexual crimes on underage girls and then covered up the acts. The five girls, identified as Charis Barker, Rachel Frost, Rachel Lees, Gretchen Wilkinson and one Jane Doe, are each seeking $50,000 for damages.
Founded in 1961, IBLP's mission states that it is "dedicated to giving clear training on how to find success by following God's principles found in Scripture." It was founded by 80-year-old bachelor Bill Gothard, who was forced to resign last year due to multiple sexual harassment charges filed against him since 2012. Gothard has repeatedly denied the allegations.
"I was accused of having selfish motives for inviting young ladies to the Headquarters. I knew this was not true," he stated on his website. "God is my witness that I have never kissed a girl, nor touched any young lady in a sensual way."
Interestingly, Gothard has close ties with another scandal-laden family: the Duggars. According Raw Story, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are listed as members of the IBLP. The Duggar parents have even adopted IBLP's homeschooling curriculum for all their children, as shown in their now defunct show, "19 Kids and Counting."
When their eldest child, Josh Duggar, admitted to molesting young girls including his sisters, he was reportedly sent to an IBLP facility for three months. These molestation charges came out in the open last May, which prompted the cancellation of their reality show. Josh has since admitted to other inappropriate sexual acts, such as cheating on his wife and being addicted to pornography.
Other victims of the conservative homeschool program have created a website called Recovering Grace, where they aim to "shine light on the teachings of IBLP."
"We at Recovering Grace have stated publicly for many months now that our hope and prayer was that Bill Gothard and the IBLP leadership would take responsibility for his/their actions," their official statement reads. "We hope that this lawsuit indicates the seriousness of the allegations, and we continue to pray that this action will facilitate true repentance and justice that, so far, has not occurred."
