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. U.S. District Judge Mark Norris in Tennessee issued the Feb. 2 order…
SBC Executive Committee won’t pursue countersuit against Hunt
After some debate, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee declined to accept a suggestion to go on the legal offensive against Johnny Hunt. Hunt, a former SBC president, filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the SBC for defamation after he was…
Newsmax settles third defamation case over 2020 election falsehoods
Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the “faith-friendly” right-wing cable network of defaming Dominion Voting Systems. Newsmax falsely claimed Dominion helped rig the 2020 election for Joe Biden. Newsmax was not required to…
Newsmax election defamation case was to begin jury trial today but now delayed
Newsmax, a conservative news outlet beloved by many evangelicals, was scheduled to begin defending itself today in a jury trial over a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems. However, the trial has been delayed due to calendar…
Texas Supreme Court says Patterson may be held liable for defamation
Paige Patterson may be held liable for defamatory actions taken by others on his behalf, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Feb. 14. That’s bad news for Patterson, former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his former chief of staff,…
Second minister accuses T.D. Jakes of sexual misconduct in defamation suit filing
The Rev. Richard Edwin Youngblood, the brother of a minister who has accused Bishop T.D. Jakes of sexual misconduct, has made his own accusation against Jakes, claiming the Texas megachurch leader climbed into bed with him on a church business…
New date set for Johnny Hunt trial
A new trial date has been set for Johnny Hunt’s lawsuit against the Southern Baptist Convention in which he seeks more than $100 million for damages to his income, reputation and livelihood. That new date falls one week after the…
Greenway ends defamation claims against Southwestern without a financial settlement
In a surprising turn of events, the defamation lawsuit brought against Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and its former trustee chairman by former President Adam Greenway has come to an abrupt conclusion, with Greenway receiving none of the compensation he sought….
‘Pro-family’ New Hampshire legislator must pay drag queens he defamed $200,000
Bearing false witness is a sin, according to the Ten Commandments, and in some cases it’s a crime. For Rep. David Love, a New Hampshire state representative backed by “pro-family” groups affiliated with Focus on the Family, it’s a costly…
Johnny Hunt tells his side of the story, including his definition of ‘adultery’
Johnny Hunt finally got to tell his side the story about what happened at a beachside condo in 2010, when he is accused of sexually abusing a pastor’s wife the age of his own daughters. In a court deposition taken…
Oral arguments in McRaney’s appeal set for April 4
A trial date has been set for Will McRaney’s appeal of a single judge’s dismissal of his defamation case against the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board. McRaney and NAMB representatives have been summoned to New Orleans April 4…
Five ‘Christian influencers’ still face defamation case by former Dominion executive
Despite the much-publicized settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems, five “Christian influencers” still face defamation lawsuits brought against them by Eric Coomer, former director of product strategy and security for Dominion. A recent article by Steve Rabey for…