February 21, 2025
‘Every person has a breaking point. I have reached mine.’
Megachurch pastor and popular spiritual leader T.D. Jakes is fighting back against claims of sexual assault from former pastors in a new defamation lawsuit, The Christian Post reports.
In a motion to dismiss the litigation, Jakes and his legal team are “aggressively” challenging his accuser’s credibility in a filing that includes an eight-page affidavit from the pastor claiming the claims made against him are “malicious lies.”
Former pastor Duane Youngblood and pastor Richard Edwin Youngblood have accused Jakes of sexually assaulting them when they were younger.
Richard Edwin Youngblood claims the Potter’s House founder allegedly attempted to sexually assault him while the two shared a hotel room during a ministry trip years ago.
“He secured a room with two beds in it, and we went to the room for the night. That night, while I was lying in my bed, I felt Elder Jakes climb into my bed. He pressed his body against mine and asked, ‘Youngblood, do you feel that?’ He was referencing his erection that he was pressing against my backside,” Youngblood wrote in his affidavit.
“I got up out of bed in complete shock as he also [got] up from the opposite side and met me. He grabbed me by my arms, and pulled me to him and started trying to kiss me. At this point, I cannot believe what is happening to me.”
According to Houston Chron, Duane Youngblood, now 58, is accusing Jakes of assaulting him in a private home, writing in a statement, “As I prepared to leave, he pulled me close and tried to kiss me.” The pastor, Youngbood added, called him the following day. “He wanted me to be the only person he had a sexual relationship with when he came to town.”
In the affidavit, the Dallas-based faith leader denied all the claims that “describe situations where I harbored carnal desires for these men. These statements are knowingly and flagrantly false,” Jakes said in the document.
Duane Youngblood alleged in a motion that since going public and appearing on the Larry Reid Live YouTube talk show, Jakes and members of his team “have engaged in retaliatory conduct to silence him.”
Jakes and his son, Jermaine, deny the allegations.
“For years, I have been counseled to ignore the constant stream of low-level smears against my reputation. However, the emotional and physical toll of this coordinated campaign of lies, designed to damage my reputation and legacy, has become overwhelming,” the elder Jakes said.
“The pain it has caused my wife of 43 years and my five children, whom I have always loved, nurtured, and provided for, is simply too much to bear,” Jakes added. “Every person has a breaking point. I have reached mine. I authorized this lawsuit because I can no longer remain silent.”
RELATED CONTENT: T.D. Jakes And Wells Fargo Announce $9M Grant For Underserved Communities
Enter your Email Address below to get our fun-filled Newsletter!
© 2025 Black Enterprise. All Rights Reserved.