Christian singer Stacie Orrico has filed a lawsuit against her former manager, alleging she endured years-long sexual abuse starting at the age of 14.
Orrico, 39, is suing Britt Ham, who served as her manager early in her career, along with Universal Music Group, ForeFront Records, and others for alleged childhood sexual assault, gender violence, negligence, and sexual battery.
The complaint names music executives and companies who she contends prioritized financial and reputational interests and allowed Ham unsupervised access to Orrico and ignored abuse, to maintain her image as a Christian artist.
The lawsuit, which was filed in a Los Angeles County Superior Court this week, says Ham repeatedly abused her over several years. Additionally, it outlines that the Christian record label and tour company “failed to implement safeguards to protect her from sexual abuse while she traveled specifically to California, to promote their mutual interests.”
“Plaintiff Stacie Joy Orrico was an innocent and joyful child, full of dreams, one of which was to become a singer. That dream — and her childhood, adolescence, and entire life — were permanently threatened and profoundly altered by the trauma she endured as a result of sexual abuse and exploitation while she was a minor child and a professional musical artist under Defendants’ control, supervision, and authority,” the filing reads.
In the initial instance outlined in the suit, Ham is accused of sexually abusing Orrico during a private meeting at a Los Angeles hotel during a trip to promote her 2000 debut album, Genuine. The complaint says he kissed her and then forced her to lie in the same bed with him. He told the then-14-year-old Orrico that his actions were “not a sin because he loved her.”
Orrico felt “ashamed” and “confused” by the incident, but grew “increasingly close to her abuser, who impressed the importance of secrecy and the need to act Christian and wholesome in public.”
The “(There’s Gotta Be) More to Life” singer says the sexual abuse escalated for years as he groomed her, and when she was 17 years old, he had sex with her.
The singer says the non-consensual relationship continued and was seen by others over the years. One person warned Orrico’s father that she and Ham were touching “too much” at a pool. Another person who was hired to be Orrico’s companion raised concerns to the record label about the singer’s relationship with Ham, but was allegedly fired for it.
The filing reports Orrico ended her relationship with Ham in March 2004 at the age of 18. Her music career had been successful until then when it abruptly ended after she departed the label.
“Stacie’s case is a chilling account of a child whose love for God and whose extraordinary talent drew the attention of an industry that saw profit, not protection,” Mo Hamoudi, one of her attorneys, told PEOPLE in a statement. “Instead of safeguarding her, they allowed her to be abused while others made money, leaving her exposed to the darkest corners of their own system.”
The complaint explains that the 39-year-old is suing now because after years of therapy and personal struggle, she feels there should be accountability for the “abuse, exploitation, and profound harm she suffered.”
“The music industry failed to protect me when I was a little girl. It has taken me years to become strong enough — but I am ready to fight for every young and innocent person who has been, and continues to be, abused in the music industry and in the Church,” Orrico said in a statement.
CBN News has reached out to Universal Music Group (UMG) for comment and has not received a response. UMG owns Orrico’s onetime record label ForeFront Records under the umbrella of Capitol Christian Music Group. Multiple news outlets report unsuccessful attempts to find a representative for Mr. Ham.
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