The megachurch pastor accused of luring four young men into sexual relationships and travelled with them to New Zealand and other places categorically denied the allegations for the first time in a court filing today, saying he was only a mentor to the men who filed civil lawsuits against him.
Bishop Eddie Long has for weeks vowed he would fight the lawsuits in court, and promised in church sermons he would not let the legal troubles prevent him from doing his church work.
But he did not deny the allegations until he filed a legal response saying the "claims of sexual misconduct are not true."
The men, who were 17 and 18 at the time, say Long abused his spiritual authority to lure them into trysts with cars, jewellery and cash.
Their attorney, B J Bernstein, said she doesn't have much physical evidence backing up the complaints, but that she plans to subpoena records from Long that will show he travelled with the young men to New Zealand and elsewhere.
Bernstein declined to comment because she had not yet received the response.
Long, though, said in the four separate documents that he often encouraged his New Birth Missionary Church members to call him "daddy" and that some even called him "grandaddy", but that the term was a sign of respect.
The bishop also said in the documents that he has long shared rooms with some of his church members, and that his parishioners often hug him. And while he admitted to giving the plaintiffs gifts, he said he often provided many members of his church with financial assistance.
Long became one of the nation's most powerful church leaders over the past two decades, transforming a suburban Atlanta congregation of 150 into a powerhouse of 25,000 members that includes high-profile athletes, entertainers and politicians.
The bishop is a father of four who has been an outspoken opponent of gay marriage and his church has counselled gay members to become straight. But the TV preacher's empire was threatened in September when the four men filed the lawsuits.
Two of the young men say he targeted them after they enrolled in the church's LongFellows Youth Academy, a programme that taught teens about sexual, physical and financial discipline.
The other two - one of whom attended a satellite church in Charlotte, North Carolina - have made similar claims.
