A Santa Clarita man has been charged criminally with revenge porn and is now also facing a civil lawsuit over allegations he obtained nude photos of his estranged wife and shared them with the elders of Placerita Bible Church, which then shared them further.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office charged Andrew Wilder with a misdemeanor count of distributing a private image to cause emotional distress, which is also known as the state’s revenge-porn law.
Katie Rabago, an attorney for the plaintiff and alleged victim in the case, Alison Wilder, said in a phone interview Thursday that the violation of trust went well beyond the photos Andrew Wilder had obtained without her client’s consent.
“She sought help in regaining those images that were allegedly shared without her consent or knowledge — and she didn’t receive the help that she sought — is all that, I guess we can say, at this stage,” Rabago added.
The civil complaint filed last month alleges that Alison Wilder sought to separate from her husband, after years of physical abuse, which resulted in two active, separate cases regarding domestic violence against Andrew Wilder.
Andrew Wilder has pleaded not guilty in court to all charges so far, according to L.A. County Superior Court records available online. He’s due back at the Santa Clarita Courthouse in July for his trial scheduled on the misdemeanor allegation.
Alison and Andrew Wilder took part in two counseling sessions together prior to their separation, according to the civil complaint. As part of that process, according to the allegations, Alison Wilder’s father was contacted by three men, Patrick Hamblin, Mark Madrid and Adam Tyson, part of the leadership of PBC. At a meeting, Alison’s father was shown the illicit photos.
Rabago said Thursday that that’s how her client found out the photos were on devices where she had not authorized them to be.
The complaint also states that Hamblin, Madrid and Tyson, who are all still listed on the church’s website, then “rebuked” Alison Wilder’s father for being “quarrelsome and persistently sinning” in their efforts to dissuade him from telling Alison or the authorities about the photos.
A phone call Wednesday to Placerita Bible Church was not returned.
Tyson’s attachment to the story brought significant publicity to the church that counts about 350 congregants during its weekly Sunday service. That’s because PBC’s lead pastor also has been affiliated with rapper Kanye West since the former chart-topping artist’s Gospel period in 2019, according to a previous report in XXL magazine. It even mentions that Tyson made suggestions regarding the rapper’s more spiritual verses.
Rabago described the lawsuit as being in the early stages, adding the service to the defendants has been made, but her client is still in the initial window for a response from the other side.
A case-management conference is currently on the schedule for Nov. 16 in the Chatsworth Courthouse.
