Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and Bishop Sued for Sexual Assault by Local Preacher

Business Wire, May 2, 2007

FORT WORTH, Texas -- A lawsuit was filed on April 25, 2007 in the 48th District Court of Tarrant County, Texas against the CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, (formerly known as the COLORED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH); the Church's Senior Bishop, BISHOP WILLIAM GRAVES; and BISHOP KENNETH WAYNE CARTER, by a licensed Local Preacher within the Church, Brother JOHN DOE (a pseudonym). The Cause Number is: 048-223708-07

The lawsuit alleges that BISHOP KENNETH WAYNE CARTER sexually assaulted Brother JOHN DOE when Brother DOE was interviewing to be a driver for BISHOP CARTER. Soiled clothing has been turned over to the Arlington, Texas Police Department for DNA testing. A report has been filed with the Arlington, Texas Police Department. The Police Report Number is: 07-0028015.

The CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, a historically African American Christian denomination, was organized in 1870 by 41 formerly enslaved men. The CME Church has approximately 800,000 members in the United States, Haiti, Jamaica, Ghana, Liberia & Nigeria. The CME Church is affiliated with Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee; Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama; Paine College in Augusta, Georgia; Texas College in Tyler, Texas and Phillips School of Theology in Atlanta Georgia. For more information about the CME church, please visit their website at www.C-M-E.org.

The General Counsel for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is Ms. Ouida Y. Brown of Brown's Law Firm, P.C. She can be reached at 1-256-383-9620.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the Bishops and the Church for their actions that lead to and facilitated the sexual assault.