The Church of God in Christ Inc. has been granted a preliminary injunction to stop a gospel musician from continuing to slander the denomination and its senior leaders.
Mark Norris
U.S. District Judge Mark Norris in Tennessee issued the Feb. 2 order following an evidentiary hearing in connection with a $500,000 defamation lawsuit filed against Moses Tyson Jr. He is accused of waging a defamation campaign that sowed confusion in congregations and damaged the reputations of COGIC and members of its governing body.
Tyson is a California resident with a longtime relationship with the denomination and its leadership, having served as a bishop and a pastor and performing music in its churches. His 1999 album, “Music,” reached No. 12 on Billboard magazine’s Gospel Albums chart.
“Here, there is plainly no question that the defendant’s language, written and spoken, tends to harm plaintiffs’ reputations. He makes allegations of crimes, manipulation, deceit and other misconduct. There is nowhere in the record any suggestion that Mr. Tyson was engaging in colorful hyperbole or exaggeration,” Norris explained in the order.
Nor is there any proof Tyson ever attempted to investigate the veracity of the statements he made about the denomination and its leaders. Norris added the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their ongoing litigation.
Bishop Drew J. Sheard
“I’m pleased with the outcome of the evidentiary hearing,” said Bishop Drew J. Sheard, presiding bishop of the denomination headquartered in Memphis. “This case has had a negative impact on our denomination and I’m grateful the judge saw the need to provide this injunction.”
Norris’ order blocks Tyson from continuing to make written or spoken statements alleging “perjury, fraud, theft and abuse” by denominational leaders as the lawsuit continues.
The 12-page injunction contains numerous accounts of Tyson’s allegations spread through email, in podcasts, radio shows and other appearances.
In a July 2025 email sent to 30 individuals, Tyson claimed “COGIC and its agents” took “MILLIONS IN THEFT” and had sold “STOLEN CHURCH PROPERTIES.” It goes on to say those leaders “LIED” to a judge in Florida.
An August email asserts Sheard and other leaders should be reported “to the POLICE FOR ELDER ABUSE.” Another accused Jonathan Saffold Jr., general counsel of the denomination, of committing “FRAUD, LIES & ABUSE,” including perjury and material misrepresentation.
“Other evidence of published written material abounds,” the order explained before moving on to accusations Tyson made through other outlets.
During a radio panel discussion in October, Tyson referred to the theft of property and of $600,000, and in a later interview claimed COGIC had “illegally taken” churches and “illegally removed” pastors.
Sheard reported a decline in donations to the local and national church “as a result of the reputational harm caused by defendant’s statements,” Norris observed.
Saffold said he faced a complaint made to the Minnesota bar over his alleged misbehaviors, and that he “personally observed … eroded trust in church governance, disrupted lines of communication, and confusion and discord among congregations.”
Spoken or written statements can be considered defamatory if the reputation or esteem of another person is harmed, or if the allegations deter third parties from associating with the target of the slander. That standard was clearly met, Norris said.
Plaintiffs’ case for receiving the injunction also was helped because Tyson did not appear for the Jan. 6 evidentiary hearing in which his representation did not question those who testified.
The lawsuit has important legal implications, according to a statement by the law firm Bailey and Bailey, counsel for the plaintiffs.
“This decision reaffirms a core constitutional principle,” the firm said. “Freedom of speech is among our most cherished liberties — but it is not a license to knowingly spread false accusations that destroy reputations, undermine institutions and mislead the public.”