TD Jakes is in stable condition. The famous bishop suffered a medical emergency during a sermon on Sunday, all of which was caught on camera for the world to see. While Jakes is reportedly physically recuperating after the incident on Sunday, he also faces legal woes as he just filed a defamation lawsuit against Duane Youngblood, a fellow pastor.
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Jakes’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Youngblood, 57, made the explosive claim on a podcast that Jakes attempted to sexually assault him when he was 18 or 19. He claimed that the bishop tried to “groom” and “kiss” him. Then, Youngblood with his attorney demanded $6 million from the bishop “in order to resolve this matter quickly and privately,” according to The New York Post. Now, it seems Jakes is fighting back legally.
Filing a defamation lawsuit against Youngblood in Pennsylvania court, Jakes’ attorneys seemed to hint that the accusations could have led to his medical incident on Sunday. “This lawsuit is intended to bring that scheme to a halt,” Jakes legal team wrote in the filing obtained by the New York Post, “to end the extreme emotional, physical, and spiritual toll Defendants’ conduct has caused Bishop Jakes, to set the record straight so the world understands the patent falsity of the accusations, and to restore Bishop Jakes’s reputation.”
The filing goes on to say that he “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, but that is not the case here.” Per The New York Post’s reporting, it then claims that Youngblood “used and abused the might of social media and the legal process to … make knowingly false accusations for his own personal and financial gain,” while also pointing out that Youngblood is currently on parole and is a registered sex offender in the state of Pennsylvania.
Jakes has since addressed the medical emergency after recovering from Sunday in a viral video and statement to his social media accounts. In the statement, Jakes shares that he did not have a stroke. “I give thanks unto the Lord that I did not have a stroke, however, the event could’ve been fatal if it weren’t for God’s intervention,” the statement reads.
In the video, he keeps saying how “grateful” he is for all of the people who prayed, texted, and had vigils for him. Holding back tears, he thanks “all of the people who shared love,” saying that it, “didn’t have to turn out this way.” See the emotional clip below.
As usual, some creators on Tiktok are skeptical of the incident “not” being a stroke, wanting more clarity as to what exactly happened to the pastor on stage.
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