Bishop TD Jakes has squashed sekzual assault allegations from two pastor brothers dating back several decades.
The 67-year-old was tagged by allegations first raised last year that he targeted former pastor Duane Youngblood, 58, for sexual favours 40 years ago.
His elder brother, Richard Edwin Youngblood Sr, 62, quickly filed his own allegations earlier this month.
According to the filing by Richard, the megachurch pastor preyed on him in years past when they shared a hotel room at the time of a ministry event.
He said all happened similar to what his brother originally filed.
Jakes filed a defamation suit against the brothers after they went public with their allegations.
In response to a motion filed seeking dismissal of suit for defamation, he denied the allegations.
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In response to Duane’s lawsuit, Jakes said the allegation was “not only ludicrous, it is a bald-faced lie.”
“To be clear: while I occasionally travelled to Pennsylvania around 1986 to preach at area churches that were part of the Greater Emanuel International Fellowship network, I never tried to corner, grab, or kiss any teenagers,” Jakes wrote.
“I never phoned Duane Youngblood to proposition him for s£x in exchange for financial support. And I never groomed, s£xually abused, s£xually assaulted, and engaged in predatory conduct of a s£xual nature towards Duane Youngblood. I never apologized to Youngblood for any such conduct because it did not happen.”
Duane claimed in the motion against Jakes’ defamation suit that since he came forward last year, he has been “receiving threats from individuals associated with Plaintiff, including his son.”
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Following the brothers’ lawsuits in recent months, Jakes fervently denied the allegations against him, and issued an eight-page affidavit in his response to the motion to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against them.
“I have reviewed the affidavits of Duane Youngblood and Richard Youngblood submitted in support of the motion to dismiss. The statements in these affidavits purport to describe situations where I harbored carnal desires for these men. These statements are knowingly and flagrantly false,” he wrote.
“I am repulsed by these defamatory accusations and the $6 million extortion letter I received from Duane Youngblood’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn.
“For years, I have been counseled to ignore the constant stream of low-level smears against my reputation.
“However, the emotional and physical toll of this coordinated campaign of lies, designed to damage my reputation and legacy, has become overwhelming.
“The pain it has caused my wife of 43 years and my five children, whom I have always loved, nurtured, and provided for, is simply too much to bear. Every person has a breaking point. I have reached mine. I authorized this lawsuit because I can no longer remain silent.”
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Jakes also said Richard was filing his claims because he was trying to get revenge for Jakes refusing to give him a job.
“He hasn’t been able to maintain a job, he has multiple children with different women, and a felony conviction for failure to pay child support. It’s difficult to respect a man who doesn’t take care of his children,” Jakes said in his affidavit.
“In all my years, I have never initiated a lawsuit against anyone. We filed this lawsuit against individuals who were supposed to be men of God but are clearly not.”
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