Sometimes the legal process to pursue justice is even more traumatic than the original sins committed against you.

When David Samarzia informs leaders of Redeemer Lutheran Church that their pastor molested him in boyhood, he doesn’t ask them for a dime, or even an apology for the trouble the abuse caused in his life. He wants one thing only—that they call off a mission trip for kids who would be staying with the predatory minister. That’s all. He fully expects the church to take care of its own problem. But in a bewildering turn of events that makes national news, he becomes embroiled in a vicious legal battle that will challenge all he believes in.

Unfolding against the backdrop of Minnesota’s beautiful north country, David’s story exposes the dark underbelly of our justice system and the lawyers who perpetuate it. With unflinching honesty, he writes of other people’s failures, and his own. Yet Blindsided is no mere tell-all memoir. At its heart is a father–son story of family love, loyalty, and perseverance in the face of evil, even when it costs them everything.

DAVID SAMARZIA gave countless unpaid hours to PAVSA (Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault), First Witness Child Advocacy Center, Men as Peacemakers, and other nonprofits. He staffed the PAVSA hotline, taking calls from hundreds of men and women in their own abuse crises. For them he was a listener, advocate, and a real friend who understood what they were going through. He was interviewed by local and national news outlets, including Newsweek, Dateline, World News Tonight, and Minnesota public radio. His lawsuit, filed anonymously as John W. Doe v. Redeemer Lutheran Church et al, set a precedent for other victims of childhood sexual abuse to prevail in litigation against their molesters.
David is a lifelong dog lover who credits his canine companions for helping him survive the unthinkable. Find him online at www.davidsamarzia.net.