“David, I am thrilled to hear that you are finding some time to write the book that should be written by you. The pain you have suffered and the trials that you have endured give you knowledge. This knowledge can be useful and advise future generations. You have already made a difference with your advocacy in bringing the truth out regarding child molestation.”
Becky Lourey, MN State Senator (retired)
"[David] Samarzia worked hard in therapy to not only better understand himself but to heal from his past traumas... Even though he won the trial there was a good deal of local press that condemned him for wanting to accept the settlement which would have meant selling the church and its contents... It became a painful process to watch his clients desert him and his inability to maintain the business, his home and possessions."
John McBride, psychologist, Duluth Clinic
"This book clearly shows the painful legal process and how it can create a secondary victimization. I’m sure it will be very helpful to readers, victims, their families, lawyers, the media, clergy, and therapists.”
Dr. Mic Hunter, specialist in male sexual abuse
and author of Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse and Honor Betrayed: Sexual Abuse in America’s Military
From a man who isolated himself behind sunglasses and high walls, to having one of the most-recognized names in Minnesota, David Samarzia tells for the first time the story behind the headlines. His lawsuit against a mainstream denomination, one of the most highly-publicized clergy abuse cases ever, was initiated not for monetary compensation but simply to protect vulnerable kids. It became a precedent-setting case opening the floodgates for adult victims of childhood abuse to take successful legal action against sexual predators.
In 1991, David blew the lid off the secretive life of a popular pastor ... and today, more than thirty years later, victims of the minister-molester are still coming out of hiding. At least the ones who survived.
Blindsided is a deeply personal narrative of lost innocence, addiction, shame, and betrayal. It's a story of an amoral church bureaucracy and its unfettered legal team who used the justice system to try to silence the truth. It's about broken trust by those he had every right to trust. Most of all, it's about a man who persevered through hell and back to protect children, and the unlikely allies he found along the way.
Thoroughly documented with court transcripts, media coverage, letters, counseling/medical records, and a secret diary...
Looking for representation in 2024
"In these pages, David Samarzia has shared a deeply personal story that was challenging to write. It was a story that was also challenging to read, for a different reason. Here is a reminder of the depths, the depravity, and the wounding power of sin. I became a part of David’s story when I moved from Indiana, and became a Pastor in a nearby congregation in northern Minnesota in the late 1980’s. I had first gotten to know David’s parents, who were a wonderful Christian couple. They were thankful that David was coming forward with events that had taken place in his life some 25 years earlier—of being sexually abused by his pastor. Both David and his parents desired to prevent further victims.
“But it also became clear that telling such events would not be easy. This would require some courage on David’s part. Clearly, it would not be easy for David, who would see his personal life and graphic details of his story become public. It would be hard on David’s parents and David’s family. It would cause soul-searching for truth on the part of people who had known both David and the abusing Pastor... Sin so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1). Does it ever! It is my prayer that these pages will help all of us to serve the David Samarzias of this world in a more Christ-like manner.”
Reverend John Lehenbauer, pastor, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
BLINDSIDED
A Memoir by David Samarzia