Bishop Eddie Long, in his first legal responses to allegations of sexual misconduct, has denied coercing four young men into sexual relationships.

On Monday, Long’s lawyers filed four sets of papers in Georgia’s DeKalb County State Court asking a judge to dismiss individual lawsuits filed in September by Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg, Jamal Parris and Spencer LeGrande.

The men alleged in their civil lawsuits against Long and his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church that Long coerced them into sexual relationships with him in exchange for gifts, trips and jobs.

Long conceded in his response that he took the men on trips with him and that it has been a practice of his to occasionally share a hotel room with members of his congregation. He also said that he may have even hugged some of the men. But "the plaintiff's claims of sexual misconduct are not true,"Long said in his response.

Each of the plaintiffs was in his late teens when the alleged incidents allegedly occurred. The legal age of consent in Georgia is 16.

LeGrande, the last of the four men to file suit against Long, lives in Matthews and alleges that he met the Georgia preacher at New Birth Charlotte, which Long planted in 2003.

"Bishop Long admits that it is common among his church congregation for members to hug each other and hug the Bishop," the response states.

Long also admitted to giving the plaintiffs gifts, including cars, and helping them financially, but he denied that it was in exchange for sex. He said he has "provided sporadic financial assistance," and he routinely pays for rent and other expenses for New Birth members, according to the filings.

Long further said that he is a "bold revolutionary spiritual leader," and that he has built a ministry that places "special emphasis on outreach to men, reinforcing to men the importance of partnering with a ministry that will grow them spiritually."

As co-defendant in the lawsuits, Long’s 25,000-member church had not filed a response as of Monday.

In each case, the plaintiffs alleged that New Birth leaders knew of Long’s alleged actions but did nothing to stop them.
 

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