Twenty men have filed a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a member of the clergy of St. Thomas Lutheran Church, and want the church to pay.

The men, now in their 30s and 40s, assert they were abused inside the church by the late Pastor Robert Slegel.

One plaintiff said the abuse started with games in the pastor?s office. Decades later, they all say they are still suffering.

"I think this is really one of the most horrific cases that we've come across, at least in this state, in New Jersey. I mean, this man was a predator,? said Robert Fuggi, the attorney for one of the plaintiffs.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says the church does not tolerate sexual abuse and that higher-ups had no prior knowledge of the pastor's alleged behavior. It also suggests that too much time has passed, noting the allegations are more than 25 years old.

Both parties are due in court Friday. The church is expected to argue to have the case dismissed.