Slander by Schuller Alleged : 2nd Suit Filed by Fired Directors of Pageants

The fired directors of Crystal Cathedral’s holiday pageants filed a second suit against the Rev. Robert H. Schuller Thursday, alleging that he slandered them from the cathedral pulpit during a service earlier this month.

The former directors, Michael Coleman and Conwell Worthington, have been embroiled in a bitter dispute with Schuller over control of the two pageants, “The Glory of Easter” and “The Glory of Christmas,” held annually at the Garden Grove church.

On May 10, Coleman and Worthington sued Schuller in Los Angeles federal court, alleging that they were fired without cause in 1986 and that the church failed to keep promises to buy out their interest in the shows and ignored their right to veto changes in the shows’ content.

They also charged that anti-Semitism played a role in their dismissal. Coleman is Jewish. The Schuller Ministries, which are associated with the Dutch Reformed Church, have denied all the allegations.

On Thursday, Coleman and Worthington, who are partners in an Orange production company, filed suit in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana alleging that Schuller slandered them during a May 15 service.

According to the suit, Schuller was addressing his congregation when he said of Coleman and Worthington, “I’m going to name names here. . . . They were fired for a very good reason. We didn’t press charges at the time. We were very nice to them.”

The pair’s attorney, Irving Meyer, said that with those words Schuller “implied that they embezzled something or that they stole something.” The suit seeks $30 million in damages.

Coleman said: “We personally feel it’s very unfair that a religious figure is using the pulpit as a closed forum for his personal endeavors.”

Chuck Todd, Schuller’s attorney, declined to confirm that Schuller made those remarks during his service but added, “I’m certain whatever Dr. Schuller stated he believed to be true at that time.”

Of the fired showmen, he said, “these people are seeking to hurt the church however they can.” Todd would not comment further.

It could not be determined whether Schuller’s remarks about the pair were recorded for broadcast on his national evangelical television show.

Coleman said neither he nor Worthington attended the service but heard of Schuller’s purported remarks from someone who did.

The first Christmas pageant was held in 1981, the year after the cathedral opened, and quickly gained popularity. Last year, more than 191,000 people saw that show, while the Easter pageant drew 103,000.