Trey’s Law: Texas Bans Contracts That Silence Sexual Abuse
Texas has unanimously passed a groundbreaking piece of legislation that will transform how sexual abuse survivors speak about their experiences. Known as Trey’s Law — Senate Bill 835 — the measure bans the use of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of sexual abuse. It also applies retroactively, voiding existing NDAs that have prevented survivors from sharing their stories. The bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in the coming weeks.
The Tragic Story Behind Trey’s Law
Trey Carlock was just a child when he attended Camp Kanakuk in Missouri, where he became one of dozens of victims sexually abused by camp official Pete Newman. Years later, as an adult seeking justice, Trey pursued a civil lawsuit against the camp. But when he reached a settlement, he was forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement that silenced him — an agreement he would later call “blood money.”
“So you accept the payout, but it feels like a bribe,” his sister Elizabeth testified before the Texas House. “My brother referred to his as blood money.”
The weight of that silence, combined with the trauma of his childhood abuse, proved unbearable. Trey Carlock died by suicide at age 28, a Dallas native whose story would ultimately spark a movement to end the weaponization of NDAs against sexual abuse survivors.
Understanding NDAs in Texas: The Legal Foundation
Before exploring how Trey’s Law alters the landscape, it’s essential to understand what nondisclosure agreements are and how they currently function under Texas law.
A nondisclosure agreement is a legally binding contract where one or more parties agree not to disclose certain confidential information. In Texas, NDAs are governed primarily by common law contract principles, with enforcement handled through the state’s civil court system under the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.
Current Legal Framework: Non-Disclosure Agreements in Texas are enforceable as contracts, meaning they carry the full force of law. They are commonly used in business settings to protect trade secrets, proprietary information, and other confidential data. The agreements are presumptively valid if they meet basic contract requirements: offer, acceptance, consideration, and mutual assent.
What NDAs Currently Allow: Under existing Texas law, properly drafted NDAs can prohibit parties from disclosing virtually any information designated as confidential. This broad scope has been exploited in sexual abuse cases to silence victims about not just settlement amounts, but the underlying facts of their abuse, institutional knowledge of predatory behavior, and patterns of cover-up.
Penalties for Violation: Breaking an NDA in Texas typically results in civil penalties under contract law. Violators can face monetary damages (often including attorney fees if specified in the contract), injunctive relief to prevent further disclosure, and in some cases, punitive damages. The four-year statute of limitations under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.004 applies to breach of contract claims, giving enforcers significant time to pursue violations.
Why This Matters for Abuse Cases: This legal framework created a perfect storm for institutional abuse cover-ups. Powerful organizations could use the threat of bankruptcy-inducing lawsuits to keep victims silent indefinitely, knowing that most survivors lack the resources to fight prolonged legal battles.
Trey’s Law: A Unanimous Victory Against Institutional Silence
In a compelling show of bipartisan support, the Texas Legislature has unanimously passed Senate Bill 835, known as “Trey’s Law,” marking a watershed moment in the fight against institutional silence surrounding sexual abuse. The bill passed with a vote of 144-0 in the House on third reading and 31-0 in the Senate. It is now headed to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for a signature.
Named in Trey’s memory, the law represents a fundamental shift in how Texas handles civil cases involving sexual abuse and trafficking, ensuring that no other victim will be forced to choose between compensation and their voice.
The Kanakuk Legacy: How NDAs Enabled a Cover-Up
Trey’s story is part of a much larger and more disturbing pattern at Kanakuk Kamps, one of the largest Christian summer camps in the country. The camp’s handling of the Pete Newman scandal reveals exactly how NDAs have been weaponized to protect institutional interests over victim welfare — and why Trey’s Law is so desperately needed.
Pete Newman’s Reign of Terror
Pete Newman, a former Kanakuk director, pleaded guilty in 2010 to seven counts of sexual abuse and is serving two life sentences plus 30 years. The prosecutor in his case estimated that Newman’s victim count might be in the hundreds. Newman is known to have abused more than 50 Kanakuk campers prior to his conviction in 2010, engaging in what experts call “superpredator” behavior.
Newman was known to play sports and ride four-wheelers naked with campers, conduct “hot tub Bible studies,” and hold one-on-one sleepovers. He groomed children by talking about sexual topics from a Christian perspective before abusing them. What should have been warning signs — his deep connections with boys, including continuing to text, write, and visit them outside of camp — were celebrated by camp leadership as Christian relationship-building.
The Web of Silence and Deception
The most disturbing aspect of the Kanakuk scandal isn’t just the abuse itself, but how institutional knowledge was concealed to protect the camp’s reputation:
Early Warnings Ignored: Court documents show that Kanakuk leadership received reports of Newman engaged in nude activity with campers as early as 1999. His supervisor recommended that he be fired in 2003 after receiving reports of inappropriate behavior with children. Despite these warnings, Newman remained at the camp for six more years.
Fraudulent Settlements: When families like the Yandells pursued legal action, Kanakuk CEO Joe White allegedly lied to them during settlement negotiations. The Yandell family asked White if he had any indication that Newman behaved inappropriately with children. White denied any knowledge, saying, “Nothing has ever been on our radar with Pete”— despite documented reports of concerns dating back years.
Insurance Company Conspiracy: Perhaps most troubling, Kanakuk’s insurance company, ACE American Insurance Co., allegedly threatened to deny coverage if the camp disclosed information about Newman’s abuse to families. In June 2010, Kanakuk had drafted letters with information about Newman’s activities to send to approximately 8,000 families, but the insurance company advised against disclosure.
The result was a pattern where victims were systematically deceived about the scope of institutional knowledge, leading to settlements and NDAs based on false information. The Yandell family settled for $250,000 in 2010 and signed a non-disclosure agreement, later alleging they would never have agreed if they knew the truth about what camp leadership knew.
The Human Cost of Institutional Silence
While 19 victims were identified in the initial investigation against Newman, a civil complaint tallied at least 57 at the time of his sentencing, and many cases have been settled with non-disclosure agreements that prevent victims from speaking out. The true scope of the abuse may never be fully known due to these silencing mechanisms.
A petition launched by victims and their families asking Kanakuk to release victims from their non-disclosure agreements now has more than 12,000 signatures. As recently as 2025, new lawsuits were being filed against Kanakuk, with Jane Doe filing suit in April 2025, alleging abuse by Newman when she was nine years old in 2008.
This is the system that failed Trey Carlock — a system where institutions could buy silence, conceal patterns of abuse, and leave victims isolated and ashamed. It’s a system that Trey’s Law aims to dismantle.
Legal Codification: Where Trey’s Law Will Live
Trey’s Law will be codified as Chapter 129C of Title 6 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, specifically titled “Agreements Prohibiting Disclosures Regarding Sexual Abuse.”
The specific sections include:
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- Section 129C.001: Definitions of “act of sexual abuse” covering indecency with a child, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual performance by a child, human trafficking, and compelling prostitution
- Section 129C.002: The core provision declaring such NDAs “void and unenforceable as against the public policy of this state”
When Trey’s Law Takes Effect
After the bill reaches Gov. Abbott’s desk, he will have up to 20 days to sign it (or not). If he takes no action, it goes into law automatically and into effect on September 1.
Retroactive Power: Voiding Existing NDAs
One of the most significant aspects of Trey’s Law is its retroactive application. The legislation explicitly states that it applies to agreements entered into before, on, or after the effective date. However, there’s an important caveat: those already in effect could be enforced if a declaratory judgment is made.
This means that existing NDAs in sexual abuse cases are presumptively void unless a court specifically rules otherwise through a declaratory judgment proceeding under Chapter 37 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. This provision could potentially free hundreds of victims who have been silenced by previous settlements.
What Trey’s Law Actually Does
Trey’s Law isn’t just symbolic — it delivers real, enforceable protections for survivors of sexual abuse. While many laws aimed at reforming nondisclosure agreements include narrow exceptions or partial measures, Trey’s Law takes a bold and comprehensive approach. It directly targets the silencing mechanisms that have long protected institutions over individuals and ensures survivors have the freedom to speak openly about their experiences. Here’s a closer look at what Trey’s Law actually does — and why it matters.
Sexual Abuse Crimes: The law defines “act of sexual abuse” to include indecency with a child, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual performance by a child, certain forms of human trafficking, and compelling prostitution.
Complete Speaking Freedom: Unlike some NDA reform efforts that create limited exceptions, Trey’s Law is absolute in its protection. Any provision that “prohibits a person, including a party, from disclosing an act of sexual abuse or facts related to an act of sexual abuse to any other person” is void and unenforceable.
Financial Terms Protected: The law carefully balances transparency with legitimate privacy interests by allowing parties to keep confidential the amount or payment terms of settlements — just not the underlying facts of abuse.
Adult and Child Victims: While initially focused on childhood abuse, the bill was expanded during the legislative process to protect victims of any age after hearing compelling testimony from adult survivors.
Impact on Future Litigation
Trey’s Law covers a wide range of important issues related to sexual abuse. It clearly defines what counts as an act of sexual abuse, including crimes like indecency with a child, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual performance by a child, certain types of human trafficking, and forcing someone into prostitution.
Unlike some other laws that only partially limit nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), this law provides full protection, making any clause that stops someone from talking about sexual abuse or related facts completely invalid and unenforceable. At the same time, the law respects privacy by allowing settlement details, such as payment amounts, to remain confidential, but it does not allow the abuse itself to be concealed. Initially focused on protecting children, the law was expanded after hearing from adult survivors to include victims of all ages, ensuring everyone who has suffered sexual abuse can speak freely without fear.
How Trey’s Law Benefits Victims
Trey’s Law is more than a legal reform — it’s a powerful shift in how survivors of sexual abuse are treated under the law. By voiding nondisclosure agreements that have long silenced victims, the legislation restores voices that were once suppressed and paves the way for healing, accountability, and change. The impact reaches far beyond the courtroom, touching every stage of a survivor’s journey.
Here are some of the most significant ways Trey’s Law empowers and protects victims.
Ending Isolation: NDAs have prevented victims from connecting with other survivors, often leaving them to suffer in isolation. Trey’s Law removes this barrier, allowing victims to find community and support.
Preventing Institutional Coverups: As demonstrated in the Kanakuk cases, institutions have used NDAs to maintain false narratives about their knowledge of abuse. The law prevents this manipulation.
Enabling Pattern Recognition: When victims can speak freely, patterns of institutional negligence and cover-up become visible, strengthening cases for all survivors.
Supporting Mental Health: Research shows that the ability to speak about trauma is crucial for healing. NDAs force victims to carry their burden in silence, often exacerbating psychological harm.
Creating Deterrence: When institutions know they cannot silence victims, they are more likely to implement genuine prevention measures rather than rely on damage control.
Legislative Champions and Testimony
The Senate bill was authored by Senator Angela Paxton, who stated: “This is a critical step forward for justice, transparency, and the protection of future victims. For too long, powerful institutions and individuals have used NDAs as a tool to cover up abuse and silence the voices of those they’ve harmed.”
The legislation gained momentum after powerful testimony from survivors, including:
Elizabeth Carlock Phillips: Trey’s sister testified that her brother referred to his settlement as “blood money,” saying “You accept the payout, but it feels like a bribe.”
Cindy Clemishire: A survivor who accused Gateway Church founder Robert Morris of childhood abuse, Clemishire told lawmakers she was offered money if she signed an NDA, saying “NDAs may be presented as legal formalities, but in cases like mine, they are tools that continue the abuse.”
Representative Jeff Leach, who authored House Bill 748 said, “With the passage of Trey’s Law, Texas is taking a long-overdue stand against the cover-up of sexual abuse and the silencing of victims. For too long, powerful institutions have escaped public accountability while survivors and their families were left to suffer in silence. This law ends that practice and changes the public policy of this state forever. In doing so, we have sent a clear message: If you abuse a fellow Texan or if you harbor or assist an abuser at the expense of the victim, you will be held to account.”
Looking Forward: A Model for Other States
Texas joins a small but growing number of states recognizing that NDAs in sexual abuse cases serve institutional interests rather than victim welfare. With the unanimous legislative support and the compelling evidence of how NDAs have been misused to protect predators and enable institutional cover-ups, Trey’s Law represents a significant victory for survivors.
The law’s retroactive application means that victims who have been silenced for years may finally be able to speak their truth. For institutions, it signals that the era of buying silence is ending, and genuine accountability and prevention must replace damage control and cover-up.
As Texas prepares to implement this groundbreaking legislation, advocates hope it will inspire similar reforms nationwide, ensuring that no survivor is ever again forced to choose between justice and their voice.
Trey’s Law is expected to be signed by Governor Abbott and take effect September 1, 2025. The legislation will be codified as Chapter 129C of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code and will void existing NDAs in sexual abuse cases unless a court specifically rules otherwise through declaratory judgment proceedings.
