Suit to accuse Christian retreat leader of sex abuse

The minister and founder of a northwestern Minnesota Christian retreat is the defendant in a sexual abuse lawsuit. The suit alleges Rev. Gerald Derstine of sexually assaulting a pre-teen girl he was counseling. In addition to the 81-year-old Derstine, several organizations under his control are targeted. The abuse, beginning when the girl was 11, went on for several years. Derstine claims that he was trying to help the girl overcome her fear of men, and says he is being targeted for firing the girl’s mother last summer. If the plaintiffs are successful, police say, the trial details could prove useful in a potential criminal case against Derstine.