Sources: Eddie Long settles case

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Sources: Eddie Long settles case

By Michaela L. Duckett – May 26, 2011

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It looks like Bishop Eddie Long will not have his day in court. The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that a settlement has been reached between Long and the four men who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

AJC reports that an attorney involved in the lawsuits against Long said the "matters have been resolved."

Long is the pastor New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch near Atlanta. Allegations that Long had been involved in sexual relationships with four young men surfaced last September when the men filed a sexual misconduct lawsuit against him.

He denied the allegations through a spokesman and told his congregation he planned to "vigorously" fight the charges.

Barbara Marschalk, who represents New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and LongFellows Youth Academy, told AJC she anticipates " the lawsuits will be dismissed, with prejudice, by close of business tomorrow."

B.J. Bernstein, who represents the four men who sued Long, New Birth and LongFellows, also confirmed the lawsuits had been settled.

The settlement terms are unknown.

According to the AJC, Bernstein's office said neither she nor the plaintiffs -- Maurice Robinson, Jamal Parris, Anthony Flagg and Spencer LeGrande -- would be available for an interview "on this matter, now or in the future. "

Mediation between the plaintiffs and Long began in February and have often been contentious. DeKalb Judge Johnny Panos, who was involved in those mediations, acknowledged the discussions had been "benevolently intense," likening them to a tennis match, "with a lot of back and forth." Some of the mediation sessions were epic, sometimes lasting through the night.

Without a settlement, the case would have likely gone to trial this summer or fall.