Higher Balance Institute faces sex abuse lawsuit

Jason jsipe on October 22, 2008

The Associated Press
10/21/2008

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Higher Balance Institute and its founders face a sex abuse lawsuit.

The complaint accuses the Beaverton spiritual organization and founders Eric Pepin and Jamison Priebe of sexually abusing a teenage boy while he was their disciple.

The lawsuit was filed Oct. 8 in Multnomah County Circuit Court by Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who filed many of the abuse lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Church in Oregon settled last year for more than $50 million.

Pepin and Priebe were acquitted of criminal sex abuse charges in a trial last year in Washington County Circuit Court.

But Clark says in the lawsuit the pair had a “system for preying upon young people.”

Efforts to contact Higher Balance were unsuccessful.

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