A historic New York City church that houses the basketball program considered one of the pioneers behind today’s multibillion-dollar youth sports industry is facing more than two dozen lawsuits related to allegations of child abuse by the program’s founder and longtime coach, according to a new joint investigation conducted by Rolling Stone and Sportico.
Ernest ‘Ernie’ Lorch stepped down from his position with the Riverside Church Hawks after more than 40 years in 2002 when several of the program’s players went public accusing him of child abuse. He died in 2012 while awaiting trial after an indictment for attempted rape from a Massachusetts grand jury. But a more definitive resolution is on the court docket, the two outlets reported.
More than two dozen lawsuits involving 26 plaintiffs, some dating more than 20 years, have been filed against Riverside Church underNew York’s Child Victims Act of 2019 over Lorch’s alleged behavior. Multiple former players accuse Lorch of pedophilia and child abuse spanning decades. The first trial date is set for January 2026.
Riverside Church has challenged the allegations in legal filings. Attorneys say the church had no knowledge that Lorch abused anyone, and no player ever complained about Lorch’s behavior to a person of authority. Lorch was a church deacon and president of the board of trustees at Riverside, according to the investigation, in addition to being a prominent New York City attorney.
Lorch was a volunteer leading the church’s youth recreation program for more than 40 years. The basketball program he started in the Riverside Church basement gym eventually produced future NBA players such as Chris Mullin, Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson and Metta World Peace.
His teams are credited with being at the forefront of the mostly unregulated grassroots basketball model in which apparel companies dole out millions to sponsor the teams with the best prospects in the country.
Lorch is accused of child abuse in rooms throughout Riverside Church, his New York City apartment and his home in Vermont, according to court documents reviewed as part of the investigation. Former UTEP star Byron Walker said in sworn testimony and during an interview as part of the joint investigation that Lorch tried to rape him in the locker room at a basketball tournament in Massachusetts after Walker earlier had shown up late for the team van.
Lorch is also alleged to have paid hush money to his victims in exchange for their silence over the years, according to the investigation.