Bishop Eddie Long Scandal: Lawyer Drops Long's Accusers for Violation of Settlement
The lawyer for three of the men involved in the sexual misconduct suit against Bishop Eddie Long has dropped her clients after they violated their confidentiality agreement, according to Fox News.
Lawyer Brenda Joy (BJ) Bernstein and co-counsel Jay Sadd decided to drop Jamal Parris, Spencer LaGrande and Centino Kemp because of a conflict of interest, as Long's lawyers have moved to collect "not less than $900,000" for violation of the settlement.
Long's attorneys are demanding arbitration because they claim the three men violated the settlement terms through interviews with the media and on Twitter. They state that Jamal Paris and Spencer LaGrande violated the terms when they participated in an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution and WSB-TV, which later re-appeared on CNN, and that Centino Kemp failed to adhere to settlement terms when he tweeted in reference to the case.
Long's attorneys claim that Kemp wrote tweets such as "I was literally your hooker," and then in one directed @BishopEddieLong wrote "why that's all I want to no."
They are seeking $300,000 per violation and claim that there is no cap on the amount of damages they can collect.
Long, the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor of Atlanta, Ga., was charged with sexual misconduct in Sept. of 2010 after the five young men, all members of the church, filed a lawsuit against him claiming that he lavished them with gifts, trips and money while coercing them into sexual contact. Long denied the charges of sexual misconduct and vowed to fight them, all the while maintaining that he tried to serve as a father figure to the young men and offer them support, financial assistance and guidance.
In May of 2011, an out-of-court settlement was reached between Long and his accusers in which each was to receive undisclosed sums of money as long as the case was not discussed. Sources estimate the cost of the settlement to have been around $15 million.
