Bishop Eddie L. Long Reaches Multi-Million Dollar Settlement with Four Men Who Accused Him of Sexual Coercion

Bishop Eddie L. Long reaches a settlement with the four men who accused him of sexual coercion -- Spencer LeGrande, Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg and Jamal Parris.

Bishop Eddie Long's pictures in gay sex scandal he opted to pay settlement

Bishop Eddie L. Long has settled four lawsuits brought by four young men - Spencer LeGrande, Jamal Parris, Anthony Flagg and Maurice Robinson - who accused the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church of sexual coercion. According Black Media Scoop, the men were demanding $20 million from Long and the church, but settled for $15 million, which comes to $3.6 million a piece before legal fees. The site is reporting that the insurance company will pay up to $13 million and the church $2 million. The word is also that he apologized to the boys in private and offered more money. Either way, as domestic violence advocate Harriet Cammock has maintained, Long's deep pockets and standing in the community helped to get him out of this situation without much public collateral damage. Still, I'm waiting on him to throw the five stones he talked about during his first church sermon after the lawsuits were filed. Well?

Bishop Long joins a long list of pastors who have misled their flock on so many levels, with many in it just to line their pockets -- Benny Hinn, Paula White, Juanita Bynum, Thomas Weeks, Rev. Ike, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Jones, David Koresh, Jamal Bryant, Michael Clare, Paul Lewis, Anthony Jinwright, Earl Paulk, Marcus Lamb, Creflo Dollar, Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard, Harold Egbert Camping, all the pedophile priests in the Roman Catholic Church, etc.

Attorney BJ Bernstein told Channel 2’s Jodie Fleischer that neither she, nor the men who made the complaints would speak about the settlement. She released a statement saying only, "The matter has been resolved." Source: WSB-TV

Barbara Marschalk, who represents New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and LongFellows Youth Academy, said she anticipates " the lawsuits will be dismissed, with prejudice, by close of business tomorrow." Source: AJC

Well, even though the matter has been resolved somebody's reputation has been tarnished. Let's see if the lawsuits are dismissed tomorrow as a result of the settlements being paid. Bishop Eddie L. Long is damaged and can't claim victory. Even though he vehemently denied any wrongdoing, he still settled the case. Why? I would have wanted my day in court if I was innocent of the accusations leveled against me. Newbirth Missionary Baptist Church is feeling the fall-out from his actions -- church membership has fallen, Long's salary is to be reduced, etc. Of course they will blame it on the economy. He won't leave the pulpit. His ego is too big and some members of his cult-like church will stand by him to the end. He believes in his heart that he can just say the words, I am redeemed and that allows him to move on, in his mind. Let's see if the Eddie L. Long that emerges from this scandal will continue to be a staunch anti-homosexual advocate or even a visible public figure.

What has occurred at Newbirth is a throwback to what occurred at the Cathedral at Chapel Hill where his one-time spiritual advisor, the late Bishop Earl Paulk reigned supreme, but his glass house was shattered with allegations of the worst kind -- a  13-year adulterous relationship with the wife of one of his pastors - Mona Brewer and that he fathered a child with his sister-in-law. I decided to run to the hills after the last set of allegations of adultery stuck to Bishop Paulk like glue. You see, he had been accused of this same thing before, but he always found a way to get out of it, this time, Mona Brewer's case stuck and he had no way out. Even though he blamed the devil for the "lies," he ended up in court, lied under oath and ended his life on probation. If Bishop Long is indeed a homosexual, what happened with these four young men will occur again. Mark my words and he will not be able to talk about David and his five stones.