Dallas County suit accuses Arlington pastor of assaults, church of knowing

A Dallas County lawsuit filed this week accuses Arlington pastor Ronnie Goines of sexually assaulting a woman he met through his church work, and accuses Koinonia Christian Church of keeping him in the pulpit after earlier misconduct claims. The woman is identified in the petition as Jane Doe.

Doe says she met Goines at a Dallas restaurant in June 2025 and told him she wanted only a professional relationship. The lawsuit says Goines agreed, then used the church administration to connect her with business contacts. It says he later began counseling her and told her that God had guided her to him and that their meetings were part of God's plan.

The petition alleges Goines assaulted Doe at his Mansfield home on Aug. 20, 2025, then again at her Dallas County home on Sept. 23, 2025. Doe is asking for a jury trial and money for medical bills, emotional distress, physical pain, and lost earnings. The suit also names the church on counts of negligent hiring, supervision, and retention, claiming it knew of prior sexual misconduct allegations involving Goines and let him keep serving as pastor.

Goines has faced criminal allegations before. He turned himself in to Arlington police in July 2024 after charges were filed. In 2025, a Tarrant County grand jury returned a no bill on sexual assault and indecency counts, a finding that prosecutors did not present enough evidence to proceed.

After that grand jury action, Koinonia Christian Church issued a statement backing its pastor. "We believe the grand jury got it right," the church said. "They carefully reviewed the evidence and saw the inconsistencies, ultimately confirming what we have known all along, Pastor Goines is innocent of these allegations."

The new petition was filed in Dallas County on Oct. 28, 2026. Court records show it names both Goines and the church as defendants.