A former pastor who accused Bishop T.D. Jakes of assault has doubled down on his claims after the Bishop fired back at him with a defamation lawsuit, with the bishop’s lawyers claiming that the ex-pastor’s allegations were “patently false” and pointing to his criminal record to attempt to discredit him, building on an ongoing scandal surrounding Bishop Jakes.
For background, on July 11, 2025, press accounts confirmed that lawyers representing Duane Youngblood, a former pastor who had accused prominent megachurch leader Bishop T.D. Jakes of inappropriate conduct, had pushed back against a defamation lawsuit filed by Bishop Jakes. In a written response to Jakes’ lawsuit, Brad N. Sommer and Paul A. Ellis Jr. of the Sommer Law Group said that Youngblood was “fully prepared to stand on the truth.”
Writing a response to Bishop Jakes, Sommer and Ellis spoke on behalf of their client, saying, “Mr. Youngblood vehemently denies any plan, much less any conspiratorial conduct regarding an attempt of extortion.” Referring to Bishop Jakes’ claim that he was being extorted by Youngblood, they added, “Defendant is the Defendant, not the Plaintiff — there is no action filed nor any formal or informal request or demand whatsoever from the Plaintiff for millions of dollars.”
Continuing, Youngblood’s lawyers said that their client is “fully prepared to stand on the truth.” However, Jakes’ lawyers reportedly stated, “Youngblood’s lies have put in jeopardy the critical philanthropic missions Bishop Jakes spearheads and has likely impaired significantly the benefits that the recipients of such efforts receive. And Youngblood’s intentional and malicious lies have taken a substantial emotional and physical toll on Bishop Jakes.”
Moreover, in an interview with TODAY, Bishop Jakes responded to Youngblood’s allegations, saying, “Enough is enough,” adding that he vehemently denied Youngblood’s claims. Moreover, Jakes explained that he had filed the defamation suit against Youngblood because “if you don’t ever speak back, it just continues to go on and on and on, and I decided enough is enough.”
In addition, according to TODAY, Jakes’ lawyers dismissed Younblood’s “tale of grooming…at the hands of Bishop Jakes,” calling it “patently false.” The bishop added, “I haven’t seen this person for 40 years.” Jakes also told TODAY that he had been faced with accusations “all year from different people in different places.”
Furthermore, the bishop said that because of the accusations against him from Youngblood, he had come to believe that the current era is “a time of misinformation and disinformation that’s hard to live with.” He added, “And I came to a few conclusions: No. 1, some people don’t see you as an individual, they see you as an opportunity. And we’re living in a time right now of people being misaligned and seldom challenged.”
Importantly, prior to his recent statement, Youngblood’s former attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, was reportedly formally charged with assault and arrested after he submitted a request to remove himself from Youngblood’s case against Jakes. According to press accounts, Blackburn was arrested after he got into his car as an aging court messenger attempted to present him with a legal complaint related to another case. TMZ reported that Blackburn “allegedly slammed his car into reverse and backed up, hitting the process server in the leg and causing a minor injury.” The outlet added, “The victim reported the incident to police.”
Featured image credit: Bishop T.D. Jakes via X