Judge Rejects Ignite Life Center’s Attempt to Pause Civil Suit Over Gainesville Criminal Case

ORANGE COUNTY, FL - Circuit Court Judge Michael Deen has denied Ignite Life Center (ILC) Church’s motions in the ongoing civil lawsuit against them.

ILC’s motions sought to pause the lawsuit because Mark Vega, the head pastor of the Church, has a pending criminal case for one count of failing to report suspected child abuse. ILC claimed that continuation of the civil lawsuit would violate Vega’s right against self-incrimination in his pending criminal matter.

Along with ILC, the defendants in the civil lawsuit are Vega’s son Christian Vargas and the Florida Multicultural District (FMD) of the Assemblies of God.

The lawsuit was filed in February 2025 by Bagen Law Firm on behalf of the Plaintiff. The Plaintiff has sued Vargas for sexual battery. Vargas also has three pending felonies for sexual abuse against girls aged between 12 and 15.

FMD and ILC are facing civil counts of negligence and vicarious liability. 

Deen denied ILC's motions last week and granted in-part a motion from the Plaintiff, ordering ILC to disclose evidence they have in the case. However, Deen denied the Plaintiff’s request for ILC to cover attorney fees incurred in connection to the Church's withholding of legal evidence.

Deen ordered that ILC’s “unilateral withholding of documents without a signed court order was procedurally improper” but that the “opposition was substantially justified based on the parallel criminal proceedings involving the corporate president.”

Vega remains out on bond and has a case management hearing set for Monday, May 11.