Exclusive: Anglican Watch obtains Bishop Heyd’s defamatory per se email about the victim of sexual abuse

Update: On August 7, 2025, DioNY intake officer Alison Quin denied that the email in question is the one actually sent by Bishop Heyd.

Anglican Watch recently obtained a copy of the email Bishop Matthew Heyd sent to clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of New York in which he tried to bar the victim of adult clergy sexual abuse from every church and church activity in the Diocese. Because we believe it is important for the public to see Heyd’s claims firsthand, we are posting above a redacted screen cap of Heyd’s false and defamatory claims.

The email from Heyd to the Diocese was sent February 18, 2025.

Heyd specifically claims that his unilateral decision to bar the victim, which was made without due process or any opportunity for the victim to rebut Hey’s fabrications, was “for making false alligations (sic) of sexual abuse and making threats of terrorism.” Additionally, acting through others, Heyd sent his fabrications to the victim’s employer in an effort to interfere with his contract of employment.

A few thoughts:

1. Autocracy of the sort evinced in this email has no role in the Episcopal Church. Indeed, even the British monarchy prior to 1776 didn’t have the ability to unilaterally impose penalties of this sort. So where does Heyd get off de facto excommunicating people in this manner?
2. Victims of sexual misconduct, beware. Heyd and the Episcopal Diocese of New York are showing you who they are, and what they are. Believe them the first time.
3. We wonder: How did a superannuated frat boy like Heyd suddenly become competent to assess the truth and accuracy of complaints of sexual abuse from his palatial digs at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine?
4. Wouldn’t anyone with half the common sense God gave a goat make sure they were on 100 percent solid ground before claiming that a church member made terroristic threats and false complaints of sexual abuse? This is a staggeringly stupid move on Heyd’s part that evinces a total lack of common sense.
5. Same for contacting a victim’s employer. Contacting the clergy in your Diocese with false and defamatory claims is bad enough and certainly not privileged as against claims of defamation, but going after someone’s job is doubly stupid. And there’s not even an arguable claim of legal privilege when it comes to interfering with someone’s livelihood.
6. Not only is the email defamatory, but it’s defamatory per se under New York law. That means that when the victim sues, he will not need to prove actual damages in order to recover.  Indeed, New York recognizes that fabricated claims of criminal conduct that could result in imprisonment if true are defamatory per se. Since New York law provides for imprisonment of up to seven years for making defamatory threats, it is indisputable that the email constitutes defamation per se. And just for good measure, he also made sure his communications qualified as defamation per se by sending them to the victim’s employer. (New York law treats fabrications that injure a person’s reputation in their profession or business, such as accusations of incompetence or dishonesty, as defamatory per se.)
7. Why didn’t Heyd run his conduct past an attorney before he acted? Isn’t that why the Diocese has a chancellor?
8. How is Heyd’s conduct even arguably Christian?
9. Heyd clearly thinks his conduct is okay. Why? Because it’s been six months and he has neither retracted his fabrications nor apologized. What kind of message does this send to clergy and members of the Diocese?

Folks, it is time for Heyd to tender his resignation.

Once that happens, the Diocese needs to publicly apologize in writing to the victim. A copy needs to be sent to every bishop, priest, and deacon in the Diocese.

From there, all Diocesan staff need to start fresh with Title IV training. This entire situation is a circular firing squad, an epic fail, and a debacle of the worst sort.

And when the victim sues, as we believe is imminent, hopefully he will consider going after Briana Ramirez, GF of former St. Thomas security guard and heroin dealer Tristan Rodas, as Ramirez continues to spread similar fabrications.

And while he’s at it, perhaps +Heyd would consider proofreading his emails. It’s not too much to ask.