A lawsuit filed this week with the Second Judicial District Court alleges that former Steelbridge Ministries executive director Travis Clark coerced a female client into “regular sexual contact” between December 2020 and April 2024.
Steelbridge operates a residential treatment facility near Downtown Albuquerque for those with substance use disorders who have also often experienced homelessness. Legacy Church Inc., the parent entity of Steelbridge, and its lead pastor Steve Smothermon, are also named in the lawsuit.
The 11-page lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiff, “Jane Doe 1,” by Albuquerque law firm Huffman Wallace & Monagle.
The lawsuit alleges that Jane Doe 1 was sexually abused while in a court-ordered treatment program at Steelbridge and that Clark coerced her into regular sexual contact under the guise of “pastoral counseling” and “substance abuse counseling” — offering her an expedited release from custody if she succumbed to his sexual demands.
Attorney Shayne C. Huffman said in a Tuesday news release that Clark had “complete control” over the plaintiff’s freedom and “the power to send her back to jail if she did not do whatever he told her to do.”
The lawsuit alleges that Clark was allowed to quietly resign his position at Steelbridge when the allegations were brought to the attention of the organization’s board of directors in the summer of 2021.
However, following his resignation, the lawsuit alleges that Clark was hired into a similar
position at Crossroads for Women where similar sexual abuses occurred. Clark is still thought to be working at Crossroads, an Albuquerque nonprofit that provides housing and therapeutic services to women exiting incarceration who are also at risk of experiencing homelessness.
“Our understanding is that Mr. Clark continued his pattern of sexually abusive
behavior after transitioning from Steelbridge to Crossroads,” Attorney Levi Monagle said in the news release. “Whether this is the result of Steelbridge’s failure to warn, or Crossroads’ failure to inquire, the result is inexcusable and highly alarming.”
Huffman said his client also alleges that Clark has been sending her messages since his resignation from Steelbridge suggesting “she stay quiet.”
Attempts by City Desk ABQ to reach representatives at Steelbridge, Legacy and Crossroads weren’t immediately successful. In a statement to KOAT-TV on Tuesday, attorneys for Legacy and Steelbridge said: “Both the Lawsuit and the Press Release are riddled with spurious allegations that constitute false statements of fact made to third parties that wrongfully damage the reputation of the Ministries.”
The lawsuit further notes that Clark had been previously charged, and later acquitted, of sexually assaulting a minor while coaching high school basketball at Liberty High School in Colorado Springs in 2012.
The plaintiff’s attorneys said the 2012 charge “was discoverable with a simple Google search, and should have disqualified Mr. Clark from holding a position of authority over the extremely vulnerable women at Steelbridge.”
An entry on Clark’s LinkedIn profile indicates that he assumed the executive director position at Steelbridge in 2019, five years after being acquitted of the sexual assault charges in Colorado. Clark was also previously the chief operations officer at HopeWorks, another Albuquerque nonprofit homeless services provider.
Legacy relationship
The lawsuit points to connections between Steelbridge and Legacy — alleging that Legacy, through Smothermon, “exerted substantial control over all major aspects of Steelbridge’s operation since at least 2019.”
“Mr. Smothermon is the leader of Legacy Church, as well as the chair of Steelbridge’s board of directors, and we would be stunned if he was not aware of the allegations of Mr. Clark’s sexual misconduct back in 2021,” Huffman said in the news release.
Huffman said Steelbridge’s relationship to Legacy is stated in its annual report. Job postings for open Steelbridge positions are also published on Legacy’s website.
“Legacy runs everything,” Huffman told City Desk ABQ on Wednesday. “And apparently all the Stillbridge folks are on the Legacy payroll.”
Huffman said his client was referred to the Steelbridge program as a condition of her probation by her aunt, who is a member at Legacy.
“[Jane Doe 1] told us that there are other people that are [at Steelbridge] as a condition of their probation,” Huffman said.
Huffman likened the power dynamic between Clark and his client to other cases that involve corrections personnel who coerce inmates into having sex.
Huffman Wallace & Monagle also represent clients in Catholic Church sexual abuse allegations.
“We’ve sued, and we’re currently suing, the Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of El Paso — we have 200 claimants in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe bankruptcy [case],” Huffman said.
Next steps
Huffman said the defendants in the Clark lawsuit now have 30 days to provide initial responses to the allegations through a court filing.
“To admit or deny each allegation we’ve made,” he said. “Then we would start the discovery process, gather evidence and exchange documents, take testimony — that sort of thing.”
Huffman said the process can take between one to three years.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they just throw everything they can at us and countersue for defamation,” Huffman said. “We’ll see what comes down the pipeline.”
Huffman said he talks to Jane Doe 1 daily.
“She’s in recovery and seems to be doing really well,” he said. “I’ve talked with her a lot now at this point and I find her to be very credible.”
Read the full lawsuit below.