WAVERLY, Ohio — On Tuesday, a federal court ordered a now-defunct religious nonprofit based in Waverly to pay $24 million to a former Athens County woman.
The order resolves a civil lawsuit filed in 2022 by the woman formerly known as Serah Bellar. The lawsuit claimed Dove Outreach’s “cult-like” teachings contributed to physical and sexual abuse she suffered as a child. (Bellar has kept her new name private; the Independent refers to her in this story by her former name.)
The court’s decision concludes the years-long court proceedings related to what Bellar has described as a long history of sexual abuse in her childhood family home. Two of her brothers sexually abused her from the ages of five to at least 12, she said in her lawsuit.
Serah Bellar claimed in her lawsuit that her uncle James Bellar, who ministered Dove Outreach, preached “that siblings are meant to procreate with one another.” She and her siblings were required to attend the church, she said.
Serah Bellar told the Independent in an interview that she is “thrilled” about the outcome and glad to see some measure of justice within the legal system.
However, she added, “‘Justice’ is a weird word for me. I don’t know anything that can really make me actually feel like there was justice.”
James Bellar told the Independent in an interview that the court’s decision doesn’t mean anything about his guilt or innocence.
James Bellar attempted to represent Dove Outreach in court, and denied Serah Bellar’s claims in a court filing. However, he was not allowed to represent the organization, and the organization failed to secure an attorney in the time required by the court. The court ultimately entered default judgment against Dove Outreach on most of Serah Bellar’s claims.
In the court’s Tuesday, Sept. 1 order on damages, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Eastern Division Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. said he had considered Serah Bellar’s “testimony and the grave circumstances in this case.” The court also considered reports Serah Bellar submitted from a certified forensic psychologist and a therapist.
Despite the court’s order, how much of the $24 million Bellar will actually receive remains an open question.
James Bellar told the Independent that Dove Outreach no longer exists as an incorporated entity. He said he continues to preach when invited to do so and does not currently convene a congregation.
Dove Outreach’s nonprofit registration expired in 2024, according to records from the Ohio Secretary of State. The Secretary of State ordered that Dove Outreach no longer conduct business in the state.
Serah Bellar’s attorney Michael Fradin told the Independent he hopes that “we can move forward towards a recovery of at least a portion of the judgment.” The process will likely be “very challenging,” he said.
Fradin said he anticipates a separate court proceeding will be involved to investigate any individuals or organizations with whom Dove Outreach had commingled assets.
“Dove Outreach has probably recognized that this was coming and the assets are likely elsewhere by now,” Fradin said.
James Bellar and his wife filed for bankruptcy in October 2024, The Logan Daily News previously reported. James Bellar claimed in his conversation with the Independent, “There’s no other individuals, no other corporations connected to us.”
Serah Bellar already saw some relief through a settlement agreement that resolved claims in her civil lawsuit against Athens County and former sheriff’s deputy Jimmy Childs.
She dismissed other individuals from her lawsuit voluntarily and has “focused on where we think there can be a recovery,” Fradin said.
Serah Bellar’s brothers Josiah and Jonathan both pleaded guilty to charges related to their sister’s allegations in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Their parents pleaded guilty in 2022 to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and endangering children. Robert Bellar and Deborah Bellar were sentenced to three and four years in prison respectively, WOUB reported at the time.
Serah Bellar told the Independent she is glad to be putting the legal proceedings behind her.
“This has held me down a lot from being able to get away from everything and just start my own life,” she said. “With it being done, I’m hoping to have a little bit more freedom to be as normal as I can.”
Throughout the legal proceedings, she said she has felt “trapped” and as though she constantly has her guard up.
“I’m hoping for just that bit of freedom to be able to just worry about, like, normal things,” she said.
Although Fradin said there is still work to do to recover damages, “it shouldn’t be having to re-live the hurt and the pain of it because that’s already been determined.”
Serah Bellar first came into the public eye when she ran away from home shortly before her seventeenth birthday, in April 2020. She resurfaced shortly after turning 18, coming forward with allegations against her family, as WOUB reported.
