A good number of you at going to quickly rejoice and say the Bishop got off and tat the allegations are not true. However, not so fast. Walker just might have done this things and won on a technicality of the law. No matter if the case was dismissed or not things like this should not even be named among the clergy.
Get all the details from an article in the Nashville newspaper below:
A judge has dismissed Bishop Joseph Walker III of Mt. Zion Baptist Church from a lawsuit filed earlier this year by former church member Valencia Batson against Walker, the church and several other ministers for alleged sexual abuse.
Church leaders have called the allegations ridiculous in the past.
Walker’s attorneys argued that the statute of limitations had expired for most of Batson’s claims and that some of the other claims in the suit were improperly filed.
Court documents show the last time Walker and Batson had physical or verbal contact was in January 2005. Any claim of sexual abuse had a one-year statute of limitations.
At a hearing Thursday morning, Davidson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Brothers granted a motion to dismiss Walker from the suit.
“That means the charges against Walker are gone,” said his attorney, Bob Boston of the law firm Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis.
Walker said in a prepared statement Thursday afternoon that he was thankful for the judge’s decision.
“I am grateful to the Lord and grateful to the judge for the ruling that properly dismisses these allegations against me and my beloved Mt. Zion church,” he said. “After all the negative publicity, as the other side appeared determined to try and re-try all of this in the media, it is obviously gratifying that the case against me has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it is over.”
Congregation members at Mt. Zion also were pleased with Thursday’s ruling, said Lawrence Washington, spokesman for the church. Washington said dealing with the lawsuit had been difficult for the church.
“Now all the accusations against the bishop and the original allegations against Mt. Zion have been dismissed,” he said in a statement. “Our faith has sustained us, and the life of our church remains strong.”
2 others dismissed
Brothers also granted nonsuits against Jerry Luren White, general overseer of fiscal management at Mt. Zion, and the Rev. Michael E. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville.
That means both are dismissed from Batson’s lawsuit but, unlike Walker, they could be sued in the future.
Batson’s lawyer, Nashville attorney Connie Allison, had filed an amended lawsuit last week, with additional allegations of fraud and financial mismanagement. But Brothers rejected that amended complaint at Thursday morning’s hearing.
Allison had no comment about Thursday’s ruling.
Brothers did make one ruling in favor of Batson’s lawsuit Thursday. Batson alleges that White sexually assaulted her in February 2011, while she was meeting with him to discuss renting office space from the church, and claims the church is liable for White’s actions. Brothers ruled that her lawsuit could continue based on the allegations against White.
In November, a judge dismissed a lawsuit by former Mt. Zion parishioner Corey Corbin — in part because the statute of limitations had expired. Corbin alleged a marriage-destroying affair between Walker and Corbin’s wife.
Now that this case has been dismissed Joseph Walker might just get the opportunity to be the next Presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship after all. Full Gospel insiders say that Walker will be the fellowship’s next leader after Bishop Paul Sylvester Morton due. It is a well known fact that Joseph has gotten very close to his leader and mentor. Mr. Obnoxious will keep posted on how it all plays out!
