T.D. Jakes files suit after medical incident, accusing minister of false abuse claims

(RNS) — Bishop T.D. Jakes, who had a medical incident at his Dallas megachurch on Sunday (Nov. 24), filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against a fellow minister who has accused Jakes of attempted sexual assault.

Duane Youngblood, 57, a Pennsylvania man who Jakes’ suit notes is on parole after felony convictions for sexual assault and corruption of minors, made the allegations in two recent appearances on the “Larry Reid Live” YouTube talk show. “The Abused Become the Abuser” episodes featuring Youngblood’s claims have gone viral.

The suit says a lawyer claiming to represent Youngblood sent Jakes a Nov. 15 letter demanding $6 million from Jakes after the episodes aired.

The suit, which includes denials by Jakes’ legal team of Youngblood’s accusations that Jakes tried to groom and sexually abuse him, was filed the day after Jakes was viewed at his Sunday service having an unspecified medical problem. In the midst of a prayer after preaching at The Potter’s House, Jakes is seen lowering his mic and shaking in the chair where he was seated. About a dozen people ran to his side and congregants stretched out their hands toward him as they began praying for him.

The legal team for Jakes, 67, an author, evangelist and business executive, told the New York Post that he is recuperating from the weekend medical incident and continuing to undergo testing after experts determined he did not have a stroke.

People come to assist Bishop T.D. Jakes, seated center, during a medical incident at The Potter’s House, Nov. 24, 2024. (Video screen grab)

“At the conclusion of yesterday’s service, after ministering for nearly an hour and a half, Bishop Jakes experienced a moment that brought him face-to-face with his own humanity,” the team said.

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“He is doing well and remains under medical supervision. Medical professionals have ruled out a stroke, but continue testing.”

In the Oct. 28 YouTube interview, Youngblood described himself as someone who was recently released from prison after violating his parole and as a person who was abused by other ministers. He alleged that as a teenager he ended a long discussion with Jakes in a private home after Jakes had preached at the church of the homeowner.

“When I started to walk past him, he pulled me to himself, wrapped his arms around me, and tried to kiss me,” Youngblood alleged on the show and was quoted in the lawsuit.

Youngblood claimed Jakes called him the next day, from a bathtub, with a three-point plan.

“He says to me, without any hesitation, ‘There’s three things I need you to do,’” Youngblood alleged on the October show that Jakes told him. “‘The first one is, when I come to Pittsburgh you’re going to be the only person I sleep with. The second one is, you can’t sleep with anybody else because I don’t want to give my wife anything. And thirdly, I will take care of you the rest of your life.’”

Jakes’ lawsuit denies all Youngblood’s accusations and makes a direct link between Jakes’ medical state and Youngblood’s allegations, which Jakes’ suit calls “false and defamatory” and “as damaging and damning as anyone can make about a prominent pastor and spiritual leader.”

“Youngblood’s intentional and malicious lies have taken a substantial emotional and physical toll on Bishop Jakes,” reads the suit. “On November 24—the day before he filed this action—Bishop Jakes suffered a medical crisis on stage in the middle of his Sunday service in front of his entire church.”

The complaint also argues that Youngblood’s accusations create a setback for those with true abuse claims.

“Bishop Jakes believes with all his heart that actual victims of sexual abuse should be treated with the utmost respect, kindness, empathy, and sympathy—and that true perpetrators of such abuse should be held accountable for their actions,” the suit continues. “But that is not the case here.”

The suit also claims Youngblood changed his story about his age when the alleged events occurred, saying in the demand letter that he might have been 17 when on the show he suggested his age would have been 18 or 19.

And the suit describes Youngblood reiterating on a Nov. 3 interview with Reid some allegations he stated days before in the first interview, including that, when he allegedly confronted Jakes years later and asked Jakes the reason for the alleged abuse, “Bishop Jakes told me the reason he did this and said this to me was because his stock was rising and he would have slept with anybody.”

Larry Reid, left, interviews Duane Youngblood on the “Larry Reid Live” YouTube talk show on Nov. 3, 2024. (Video screen grab)

Jakes seeks compensatory damages exceeding $75,000 and also seeks economic damages “in an amount to be specifically determined at trial.”

Jakes also has been the subject of unverified allegations of sexual misconduct, including at parties hosted by hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, which have put Jakes in headlines.

In May, the fact-checking website Snopes reported Jakes had been the victim of misinformation, partly generated by artificial intelligence.

“This false rumor was simply the latest chapter in a months-old series of videos — many at least partially created with the assistance of artificial-intelligence tools — promoting unfounded rumors claiming Combs hosted ‘sex parties’ in which Jakes participated,” Snopes concluded.

Jakes was mentioned once in a March lawsuit filed against Combs by a music producer who accused Combs of sexual harassment, sex trafficking and illegal drug activity. The suit alleges the plaintiff has “irrefutable evidence” of Combs “detailing how he planned to leverage his relationship with Bishop T.D. Jakes, to soften the impact on his public image” in another lawsuit filed against Combs by a different accuser.

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