WITHDRAWN

Ben Zobrist Abandons Lawsuit Against Ex-Pastor Accused of Having an Affair With His Wife

The lawsuit was voluntarily withdrawn on Thursday, as Zobrist and his estranged wife went to trial this week for their divorce after close to 16 years of marriage.

Former Chicago Cubs star Ben Zobrist dropped his $6 million lawsuit against his onetime pastor Bryon Yawn over an alleged affair he had with Zobrist’s wife, Julianna.

The lawsuit was voluntarily withdrawn on Thursday, a move that comes as Zobrist and his estranged wife went to trial this week for their divorce after close to 16 years of marriage.

The baseball star had filed the lawsuit in May and alleged that in addition to the affair, Yawn had fraudulently cashed in on salary checks from Zobrist’s charity for at least two months after he was terminated from his role as executive director of Patriot Forward in March 2019.

Last month, Yawn’s attorney, Christopher Bellamy, filed a motion to dismiss the case, denying fraud allegations and suggesting Zobrist’s suit sought to blame Yawn for the now estranged couple’s marital problems.

“For the past two years Mr. Yawn and Ms. Zobrist have been in a healthy and emotionally secure relationship,” Bellamy wrote in the filing.