Friday, September 24, 2010
Sex / Scandal Another day, another Bishop Eddie Long lawsuit alleging coerced sex
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 5:16 PM
A fourth young man has come forward to file a lawsuit alleging Bishop Eddie Long coerced them into having sex and asked to be referred to as a father figure.
A lawsuit was filed by Spencer LeGrande, a member of New Birth Charlotte. New Birth Charlotte is a satellite church run by Long in Charlotte, N.C. The lawsuit said Long told LeGrande "I will be your dad" and invited the 17-year-old to journey to Kenya with him in July 2005. LeGrande said that Long gave him a sleeping pill on that trip and that the two engaged in sexual acts.The lawsuit claims Long convinced LeGrande that "engaging in a sexual relationship was a healthy component of his spiritual life," the complaint said.
LeGrande, now 22, said the two continued their relationship on a February 2006 trip to South Africa and after he moved to Atlanta at Long's encouragement. He said that Long also instructed him not to have girlfriends, but that he pulled away in the spring of 2009 after he became "disillusioned." He moved back to Charlotte in October, it said.
Long's attorney, as it did with the three previous lawsuits filed against the megachurch pastor, categorically denied the accusations.
Long is scheduled to address his 25,000-member congregation on Sunday at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. It'll be the pastor's first public appearance since the suits were filed in DeKalb County.
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