Bishop Eddie Long | Third sexual coercion lawsuit filed

By Megan Matteucci and Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bishop Eddie Long made a church summer camp counselor call him “Daddy” and coerced him into sexual acts, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the mega-church leader.



Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.



Jamal Parris, 23, a former member of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, became the third young male to file suit against the nationally known preacher and his church.

The suit, similar to two filed on Tuesday (Read a PDF of one of the earlier lawsuits), accuses Long of using his power to force the plaintiff into a sexual relationship. In exchange, Long placed Parris and the two other men on the church’s payroll, bought them cars and other gifts, and took them on lavish trips, according to the suits filed in DeKalb County Superior Court.

Long adamantly denies the allegations and has scheduled a press conference Thursday morning.

“It is unfortunate that these young men have chosen to take this course of action,” Long's attorney, Craig Gillen, told the AJC Tuesday night.

Parris' allegations are similar to claims made by Anthony Flagg and Maurice Robinson, who filed suits Tuesday.

Robinson, arrested in June in connection with a burglary at the church, and Flagg say Long began having inappropriate relations with them when they were 16. They are seeking a trial by jury and unspecified damages.

Parris worked as summer camp counselor at New Birth, according to the suit. Parris, now living in Colorado Springs, Colo., and his mother joined the church in 2001 when he was 14.

Within two weeks, Long gave Parris his personal cell phone number, the suit alleges.

Their relationship intensified during the 2004-05 school year, with Long often inviting Parris to his guesthouse on Snapfinger Road.

"Initially, Long engaged in sexual touching during their encounters and then escalated the activity to oral sodomy and other acts of sexual gratification," the suit reads. "Long would discuss the Holy Scripture to justify and support the sexual activity."

Parris claims he left the church in 2009 "disillusioned, confused and angry."

Fallout to the burgeoning scandal has already begun, with gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes canceling a Friday morning fundraiser that Long was to co-host.

"While these allegations are troubling, we will refrain from commenting until all the facts are known,” Barnes spokesman Emil Runge said in a prepared statement.

--Staff writers Jeremy Redmon and Shelia Poole contributed to this report