*After patiently turning the other cheek, so to speak, for years as people damaged his reputation, Megachurch Pastor T.D. Jakes finally made the unprecedented move to defend himself legally. Jakes says he says he got tired of “lies” spread by his critics.
The 68-year-old renowned preacher filed a defamation lawsuit against Duane Youngblood, 58, last November. In the lawsuit, he denied he assaulted Youngblood, a former pastor, when he was a teenager or his older brother, Pastor Richard Edwin Youngblood.
On Oct. 28 and Nov. 3, 2024, Duane Youngblood claimed in interviews with internet personality Larry Reid on his “Larry Reid Live” podcast that TD Jakes sexually assaulted him when he was about 18-19 years old — approximately 40 years ago.
Duane alleged that Jakes tried to kiss him after they had been talking with him for about two hours at the home of an older adult clergywoman, where he was staying during a local church revival. The following morning, Jakes called his home and disclosed that he wanted him to become a local/Pittsburgh sex partner.
“My mother answers the phone, and she says to me, ‘Duane, it’s Elder Jakes.’ Jakes and I get on that phone and when I get on that telephone, I can hear water. He is sitting in a bathtub, and in that thing, he says to me, without any hesitation, ‘There’s three things I need you to do. The first one is, when I come to Pittsburgh, you’re going to be the only person I sleep with. The second one is, you can’t sleep with anybody else because I don’t want to give my wife anything. And thirdly, I will take care of you the rest of your life.”
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After Jakes filed his defamation lawsuit, his accusers filed a Motion Seeking to Dismiss. But the preacher is not backing down. In his 562-page response to their Motion Seeking to Dismiss, TD Jakes calls their claims a “campaign of lies.” He says the accusers had tried to extort $6 million from him but failed.
“I am repulsed by these defamatory accusations and the $6 million extortion letter I received from Duane Youngblood’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn.”
Jakes insists that he is making the unprecedented move to defend himself legally because of the “lies” propagated by his critics and because he is tired of turning the other cheek.
“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,” he explains.
“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. Every person has a breaking point. I have reached mine. I authorized this lawsuit because I can no longer remain silent,” he adds.
Jakes’ affidavit filed by his high-profile attorneys (Devin J. Chwastyk of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC in Pennsylvania; Dustin A. Pusch of Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP in Washington D.C.; and Derrelle M. Janey of The Janey Law Firm P.C. in New York City).
“I have reviewed the affidavits of Duane Youngblood and Richard Youngblood submitted in support of the motion to dismiss. The statements in these affidavits purport to describe situations where I harbored carnal desires for these men. These statements are knowingly and flagrantly false,” Jakes, who founded the 80,000-member Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, states in the affidavit.
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