Foolery is rampant in "the church"....again. The well-known and well-respected Atlanta area spiritual figure, Bishop Eddie Long, has just been slapped with a lawsuit by young male members of his church who allege the Bishop has coerced them into sexual acts.
We've got the details when you read on...
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The senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, which boasts over 30,000 members, has been accused of taking advantage of young males in the church.
Anthony Flagg, a 21-year-old church member, claims in this recent lawsuit that Bishop Eddie Long used his spiritual authority to coerce him into partaking in sexual acts. According to CNN:
The suits, filed Tuesday in DeKalb County, Georgia, allege that Long used his position as a spiritual authority and bishop to coerce young male members and employees of his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church into sex.
Long took one plaintiff, Anthony Flagg, 21, to overnight trips to a half dozen American cities, Flagg's suit alleges.
"Long shared a bedroom and engaged in intimate sexual contact with plaintiff Flagg including kissing, massaging, masturbating of plaintiff Flagg by defendant Long and oral sexual contact," the suit says.
Wow. The plaintiffs have asked for an unspecified amount of damages, and accuse Bishop Long of negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, amongst other things. The Bishop and his spokesman deny all allegations saying:
"We categorically deny the allegations. It is very unfortunate that someone has taken this course of action. Our law firm will be able to respond once attorneys have had an opportunity to review the lawsuit."
The young men, Maurice Robinson and Anthony Flagg, claim int he lawsuit that they were 17 and 18-years-old when the sexual coercion occured. They also said the church knew about the Bishop's actions, but ignored them:
Lawyers for the two men painted a picture of widespread corruption and sexual misconduct. They said Bishop Long had provided the men with free hotel stays in more than a dozen cities around the country (checking them into rooms under the alias “Dick Tracy”) and had given them gifts, including a Mustang. They said he had introduced them to celebrities like the producer Tyler Perry and the actor Chris Tucker.
A lawyer for the men, Brenda Joy Bernstein, said officials at the church had known that the sexual acts were occurring but covered up for Bishop Long. “They would do everything to protect the most powerful church in the Southeast,” she said.
Well this ought to get interesting. Hide ya kids...hide ya wife...hide ya husband...
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