Ousted PTL Aide Seeks Pay, House on Lake

A spokesman for PTL Chairman Jerry Falwell said Saturday the board has made no decision on a request by former ministry President Richard Dortch for partial salary and a lake-front home owned by PTL.

Dortch, PTL’s No. 2 man during the Jim Bakker regime, is seeking some of his salary for 1987-1988 and ownership of a home on Lake Wylie, S.C., that the ministry provided him for more than three years, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Dortch became PTL president when Bakker resigned in March because of a sex scandal. Dortch was ousted from the ministry the next month. He said that when he was hired in 1983, Bakker promised him five years of employment, the newspaper said.

“I’d say it’s interesting--I wonder why we didn’t hear about this agreement a month ago or two months ago,” said Falwell spokesman Mark DeMoss, adding that he had not heard about Dortch’s request until questioned by a reporter Saturday.

Relinquished Salary

DeMoss noted that Dortch voluntarily relinquished his salary for 12 months in an announcement on the PTL television show in April amid reports that he, the Bakkers and other top PTL officers were paid exceedingly high salaries.

PTL attorney Jay Miller, who is studying Dortch’s request, said that the board likely will consider legal advice--as well as human, moral and financial concerns--when making its decision.

“If we don’t have a lot of money, we certainly do not have a lot to dispense to people who are not performing,” Miller said.