Former Employees Drop Lawsuits Against Daystar Network, Marcus Lamb
A lawsuit filed by three women against Daystar Television Network and its founder, televangelist Marcus Lamb, was dropped, according to an announcement Thursday.
The plaintiffs, who claimed fraud and defamation, will not receive any financial compensation, either individually or for attorney fees, as a result of the litigation and will have no right to re-file.
“We are pleased the lawsuits against Daystar and related defendants have been dropped and that this resolution involves no payment of any kind to the three former plaintiffs or their attorney,” said Arnold Torres, business administrator for Daystar in a release.
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With the dismissal of the claims of Jeanette Hawkins, Karen Thompson and Jennifer Falcon, and without Daystar receiving any financial compensation, the network has agreed to drop its own lawsuit brought against the three individuals in Tarrant County, Texas. This action formally ends all litigation associated with the parties.
Kerri Ridenour, spokesperson for Daystar Television, told The Christian Post Friday that although they have no information as to how much Daystar spent on defending the suit, the network does want donors to know “that no money had been paid out for the lawsuit in any way.”
The lawsuit against Daystar was filed last year by the former director of marketing for the network, Hawkins, and two other former employees. Hawkins said that Daystar misrepresented itself and forced her to cover up an affair between Lamb and a Daystar employee.
According to Hawkins, she found out about the affair from a fellow employee who showed her emails he found proving that Lamb and another employee were having an illicit sexual relationship.
The lawsuit was filed by Hawkins a day after Lamb and his wife, Joni, went public with Lamb’s extramarital affair on their "Celebration" TV program. They said that they were not trying to excuse sin but rather "celebrat[ing] the goodness and the grace of God" that helped them through the challenge.
They also told viewers that those who filed the lawsuit against Daystar threatened to take the affair public if they were not paid $7.5 million.
Hawkins said that claim was false and that the revelation of the affair was "utterly devastating” for her. She said when she accepted employment with Daystar in 2005, the integrity and morality of the organization was extremely important to her. Hawkins resigned in 2008.
The Bedford Police Department launched an investigation into the Lambs’ allegations of extortion. After a week, they said they found that nothing illegal had taken place.
Shortly after Hawkins filed her lawsuit, Daystar filed one with the Texas State County Court in Tarrant County. They claimed that the former employees were trying to "injure the reputation and business interests of Daystar."
In a released statement Thursday, Daystar said, “We believe the decision to permanently drop these lawsuits without compensation confirms the true nature of these unfounded allegations and vindicates our position in fighting these claims.”
Ridenour told The Christian Post that there is no more news regarding the dismissal of the lawsuit and that she is unsure if Lamb is seeking marriage counseling right now. The Christian Post reported previously that he had made himself accountable to Joni's parents and other staff.
