Remember how Atlanta's Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, said how he'd fight the sex abuse suits filed some time ago by four young men who alleged that Long took advantage of them sexually? Well, Long is now reported to have settled the lawsuits in order to avoid having to go on the record and either tell the truth or, if he lied, face possible perjury charges. I suspect that Long realized that if the trial proceeded, much damaging testimony would likely come out and effectively kill his extremely lucrative pastor gig. CBS News has coverage as does its affiliate WGCL-TV. Here are some highlights:*
Last September, Bishop Eddie Long stood before his congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church a week after gay sex allegations surfaced between him and four teenage boys, and he told members he was going to fight the allegations.
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But Long chose not to fight in court. Instead he reached a settlement and paid off the four young men who accused the mega-church preacher of using his power to influence them into sexual relationships with him.
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"You can interpret that any way you want, but usually people do not settle cases unless there is some reason to do so," said former DeKalb County Prosecutor J. Tom Morgan. Morgan said he is familiar with cases like Long's. "They had to reach a settlement if they did not want any statement by the Bishop on record," said Morgan.
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Because Long settled out of court, some DeKalb County residents question his innocence. "It says that he's hiding the truth," said Robyn Senior.
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And just how much did Long pay to settle the case? "Nobody knows what the numbers are. I would be sure it's in the millions," said Morgan. Morgan estimated Long paid millions because that's what he said a Catholic church paid victims in a similar case that he prosecuted.
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