Bishop T.D. Jakes sues fellow pastor Duane Youngblood for defamation after he accused him of sexually assaulting him when he was 18 or 19
Founder of a Dallas megachurch, Bishop T.D. Jakes is suing a former Homestead pastor who accused him of sexually assaulting him when he was 18 or 19.
Bishop T.D. Jakes, also renowned as a motivational speaker and author, filed the federal lawsuit on Monday against Duane Youngblood over comments he made on the Larry Reid Live podcast last month accusing Jakes of sexual abuse.
The complaint alleges that Youngblood is attempting to rewrite history to deflect blame from his own criminal conduct, and at the same time smear Jakes “in a blatant and explicit attempt to extort him for millions of dollars.”
According to the lawsuit, on Oct. 28, Youngblood spoke in an interview for more than two hours with Larry Reid Live, an online video podcast that has more than 150,000 subscribers on YouTube.
The title of the episode was “The Abused become the Abuser.”
The lawsuit alleges that, in the episode, Youngblood lied about the circumstances of his criminal convictions, and then said that he became an abuser “at the hands of pastors and religious figures he encountered in his youth.”
Youngblood claimed in the interview, which the lawsuit said has gone viral, that Jakes tried to groom and sexually abuse him nearly 40 years ago when Jakes was in Pittsburgh to support a local church, the complaint said.
Youngblood alleged that Jakes wrapped his arms around him and tried to kiss him at the home of an elder in the church and then called him the next morning and told him he wanted to sleep with him.
During the podcast interview, the lawsuit said, Youngblood called the interaction “so extremely damaging.”
Youngblood could not immediately be reached for comment.
Jakes said in his lawsuit that Youngblood’s claims are false.
The complaint alleges that Youngblood went on the podcast again on Nov. 3 and repeated the same story, but this time accused Jakes of attempted sexual assault.
“Youngblood’s intent and motive for making these allegations would be made absolutely clear with his exorbitant financial demands weeks later,” the complaint said.
On Nov. 15, a lawyer who said he represented Youngblood sent Jakes a demand letter for $6 million “to resolve this matter quickly and privately.”
Otherwise, it said, Youngblood would sue Jakes for sexual assault and harassment, the lawsuit said.
“The motivation of the ‘demand’ was clear: pay millions of dollars; otherwise, the podcast strategy and other similar tactics of attempting to publicly harass and shame Bishop Jakes would continue,” the lawsuit said.
The complaint alleges that Youngblood’s comments have tarnished Jakes’ reputation and jeopardized his philanthropic work.
They also allege they’ve taken a physical toll, noting that on Sunday, Jakes “suffered a medical crisis” on stage during church services.
Jakes team also noted that Youngblood is a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania, and is on parole. They continued.
The complaint includes claims for libel and civil conspiracy.
Youngblood was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2002 while counseling him. He pleaded guilty in 2006 to sexual assault and was ordered to serve 4-1/2 to nine years in prison. Then in 2014, Youngblood pleaded guilty to corruption of minors.
He must register as sex offender for the rest of his life.
