Sean Feucht claims vindication as judge dismisses lawsuit over $250K donation

Activist missionary and worship leader Sean Feucht celebrated what he called a “day of vindication” Monday after a California judge dismissed without prejudice a lawsuit filed by Christian philanthropist and businessman Steve Bray, accusing him of misspending a $250,000 donation he made to his ministry more than three years ago.

“Since God first put this mandate to worship on our hearts, we’ve seen intense opposition to the Let Us Worship movement. Antifa has hurled rocks at us, satanists have doused us in pig’s blood, and multiple left-wing politicians have threatened us with arrest. And most recently, a well-funded few waged a lawfare war against us,” Feucht wrote in a statement on X Monday.

“The lawsuits were picked up by all sorts of news outlets, with a story framed around smearing us. ... [O]n Thursday, a federal court in California DISMISSED all four claims against Sean Feucht Ministries and Let Us Worship — and even VACATED this week’s hearing,” he said. “Today is a day of VINDICATION. ‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. — Isaiah 54:17.”

In a nine-page order last Wednesday, U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California David O. Carter dismissed Bray’s lawsuit without prejudice after repeatedly highlighting insufficient evidence and other deficiencies in the arguments presented by Bray to support his claim. His legal team was given 20 days to file an amended complaint that addresses the deficiencies.

“Defendants contend that Plaintiff fails the heightened standard under Rule 9(b). Mot. at 10. The Court agrees with Defendant. Plaintiff fails to identify the specific sources upon which their claims are based — it is unclear which internal financial records Plaintiff relies on, which individuals have direct knowledge, and the particulars of said knowledge,” Carter wrote. “Without this information, it is ‘difficult to imagine how [Defendants] could respond to the complaint other than by generally denying’ the claims.”

In the lawsuit filed in March, Bray accused Sean Feucht Ministries and his Christian revival movement, Let Us Worship, of fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, unfair business practices and civil theft by false pretenses under California law, regarding his $250,000 donation made through the National Christian Foundation, a donor-advised fund.

Through his electrical and temporary power services company, S.R. Bray, LLC, Bray accused Feucht of diverting the money he donated to support ministry work for his personal benefit. Bray’s attorneys alleged that Feucht used some or all of the donation to buy real estate.

In June, Feucht’s lawyers asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, charging among other things that the claims were made “without any evidence.” They argued that Bray did not restrict how his $250,000 donation to the ministry could be used. They further argued that Bray’s lawsuit was inspired by a third-party ministry watchdog giving Sean Feucht Ministries an unfavorable rating in 2024 for not filing 990 forms with the IRS for tax-exempt organizations to maintain their status. They noted, however, that because Feucht’s ministry is classified as an association of churches, it is not legally required to file the forms.

“This suit is a thinly pleaded bid to undertake a large-scale fishing expedition into Defendants’ financial records, as part of a larger effort to harass and target Defendants’ main figurehead, Christian pastor, and worship leader Sean Feucht,” the missionary’s attorneys charged.

In addition to the Bray lawsuit, Feucht has also faced allegations of unrighteous financial, spiritual and moral misconduct by former workers of his multiple ministries.

Bray told The Roys Report that Christian ministry leaders should be transparent. 

“He needs to have everything disclosed. If you want to be personal, start a company … you don’t have to tell anybody what your salary is,” Bray said. “But if you’re in ministry, you better be willing to, you know, pony up. And when they don’t want to do it, huge red flags, sirens, yellow lights, red lights.”