Bishop TD Jakes has filed a defamation lawsuit against a fellow pastor who accused him of sexual abuse. Per the New York Post, the lawsuit filed by Jakes, 67, came after he suffered a medical emergency as he delivered a sermon in his Dallas megachurch on Sunday.
Pastor Duane Youngblood is said to have made the allegations against Jakes on the Larry Reid Live podcast. Youngblood claimed he was 18 or 19 years old when Jakes attempted to sexually assault him. Besides attempting to groom him, Youngblood also claimed Jakes hugged and “tried to kiss” him.
After going public with those allegations, Youngblood and his attorney in a November 15 legal filing subsequently asked Jakes to pay them $6 million “in order to resolve this matter quickly and privately.” Youngblood also said he’ll bring a sexual assault and harassment lawsuit against Jakes if he does not pay the money they’re demanding.
Jakes’ suit against Youngblood was filed in the Pennsylvania federal court. The acclaimed bishop’s attorneys appeared to suggest in the suit that Youngblood’s allegations against Jakes may have been one of the reasons Jakes suffered the medical emergency over the weekend, the New York Post reported.
“This lawsuit is intended to bring that scheme to a halt,” Jakes’ attorneys wrote, “to end the extreme emotional, physical, and spiritual toll Defendants’ conduct has caused Bishop Jakes, to set the record straight so the world understands the patent falsity of the accusations, and to restore Bishop Jakes’s reputation.”
“Bishop Jakes believes with all his heart that actual victims of sexual abuse should be treated with the utmost respect, kindness, empathy, and sympathy — and that true perpetrators of such abuse should be held accountable for their actions,” the filing adds.
“But that is not the case here. Youngblood has used and abused the might of social media and the legal process to … make knowingly false accusations for his own personal and financial gain.”
Jakes’ attorneys also made mention of Youngblood being a parolee and a registered sex offender in the state of Pennsylvania. Youngblood is said to have entered a guilty plea for sexually assaulting at least two teenage boys, per the New York Post. He, however, claims that he has now turned over a new leaf.
Jakes’ team provided an update on his condition following the health scare. “At the conclusion of yesterday’s service, after ministering for nearly an hour and a half, Bishop Jakes experienced a moment that brought him face-to-face with his own humanity,” Jakes’ team said.
“He is doing well and remains under medical supervision. Medical professionals have ruled out a stroke, but continue testing. Bishop James remains in good condition. We are grateful for continued prayers and outpouring of love and support.”
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