The entryway of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church at 6400 Woodrow Rd in Lithonia.
The third suit was filed Wednesday afternoon in DeKalb County Superior Court, said a spokeswoman for attorney B.J. Bernstein.Larry
Long was not immediately available Wednesday, but is holding a news conference Thursday morning.
Reaction to the lawsuits alleging sexual coercion against Bishop Eddie Long reverberated both locally and nationally Wednesday morning.
CNN and Good Morning America both ran pieces on the lawsuits, as did the local TV news shows.
It was a major topic on local urban-themed radio stations. On the “Frank and Wanda Morning Show” on V-103, host Frank Ski held off on discussing the lawsuits until after 8 o’clock because, he said, “we’re going to get the kids off to school” first.
Ski is a 12-year member of Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia. In an interview with the AJC, Ski said his reaction is one of “extreme support.”
“It’s difficult for me because Bishop Long and I are very close,” he said. “I’m one of these people who’s really old school. When you’re a friend and I support you, I support you. Right now it’s allegations.”
Two men, ages 20 and 21, filed lawsuits in DeKalb County alleging Long coerced them into having sex in exchange for trips, cars and cash.
The plaintiffs say Long began having inappropriate relations with them when they were 16. They are seeking a trial by jury and unspecified damages.
Long adamantly denies the allegations.
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