Scandal

More Abuse Charges for Ga. Pastor

Eddie Long hit with 4th lawsuit.

Eddie Long, the pastor of a Georgia megachurch, has a mega-scandal on his hands. A new sex-abuse lawsuit has been filed against Long, alleging that he coerced a male 17-year-old church member into sexual relations while on a trip to Africa—the fourth such lawsuit filed against the pastor. The plaintiff, Spencer LeGrande, now 22, claims the pastor began an inappropriate relationship with him in 2005, while on a trip to Kenya; LeGrande alleges that Long gave him the sleeping drug Ambien, then began licking his lips and stroking his chest. The two carried on an “intimate” sexual relationship for several more years before LeGrande became “disillusioned and confused” by Long’s behavior. According to his lawyers, “Bishop Long categorically denies the charges.”