Bishop Walker Hit With New Suit Detailing Alleged Sexual Abuse

0
By Audrey Barrick , Christian Post Reporter
December 6, 2012|3:02 pm

Bishop Joseph Walker was hit with an amended lawsuit Monday by a former church member who is accusing the charismatic preacher of sexual abuse.

Valencia Batson's earlier lawsuit against Walker, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, was essentially dropped after her attorney filed a voluntary nonsuit in November. But her attorney filed a new complaint this week, going into more detail about the alleged abuse.

"Plaintiff Batson was so severely damaged by the sexual assaults by her spiritual leaders that she developed PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) and other debilitating conditions such that she was unable to take action within any usually applicable statutes of limitations," the complaint reads.

Other defendants named include Jerry Luren White, overseer of Financial Affairs, and Michael E. Williams, pastor for Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. Walker is identified in the complaint as the "primary abuser" and the "principle agent in the civil conspiracy to systematically recruit young women for sexual, psychological and spiritual exploitation."

Batson was among four female former congregants who filed a lawsuit against Walker for sexual misconduct and violation of trust early this year. Another former member, Corey Lamont Corbin, filed a separate lawsuit against the pastor for betraying his trust and breaking up his marriage.

A church spokesman told The Christian Post at that time that the claims were "fabrications."

Follow us

Both those suits have been either dropped or dismissed.

In the amended complaint by Batson, the defendants are accused of trying to "control" their congregation with no interferences or challenges to their leadership accepted. Batson additionally alleges that Walker mismanaged the funds of Mt. Zion Church and funneled donations to himself and his for-profit entities.

"Further, the coercive practices of the Defendants created a fraudulent concealment, wherein their misdeeds were concealed or misrepresented, and that the representation of the Defendants that Defendant Walker in particular was somehow 'closer to God' and thus not subject to the same rules and laws as ordinary men," the suit states.

"By creating a cult of personality and an attendant cult-life atmosphere of secrecy and fear, the Defendants were able to keep Plaintiff Batson and other targeted women victimized and under constant control and not reasonably able to take any actions against them."

The complaint also details the alleged sexual abuse. Batson, who began attending Mt. Zion in 1998, sought pastoral counseling from Walker and she claims he used that trusted position to pressure and harass her into sexual contact with him and others.

Batson claims that she was ignored by Mt. Zion Church staffers when she reported the assault.

The plaintiff is seeking trial by jury and compensatory damages (estimated to be about 6 million dollars).

Advertisement
Top Stories

Most Undocumented Immigrants Are Christians from Latin America and Caribbean

An estimated 83 percent, or 9.2 million, of the 11.1 million people living in the United States illegally are Christians from Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center's Forum on ...

Tornadoes Kill 1, Injure Dozens in US Midwest; More Storms Likely on Monday

Tornadoes swept through five states in the U.S. ...

Greg Laurie: 4 Words That Can Change Your Marriage

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church in Southern ...

Supreme Court to Hear Case Regarding Prayer in Government Meetings

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case regarding public prayer in government meetings which, depending on the verdict, could greatly alter the future of public religious expression in the United States.

Associated Press CEO Blasts Justice Department for Phone Records Probe

The president and CEO of The Associated Press, ...