TBN Seeks Fine or Jail for Accuser of Network Chief
Trinity Broadcasting Network officials say they want a former employee jailed or fined because he violated a court order against talking about a homosexual tryst he says he had with the ministry’s leader, televangelist Paul Crouch.
A temporary restraining order issued by Orange County Superior Court Judge John M. Watson in 2003 at the network’s request barred Enoch Lonnie Ford from talking about the alleged encounter -- or anything else involving Crouch and TBN, the world’s largest religious broadcaster.
Ford, 41, provided general facts about his employment at TBN for an article published last month in The Times that detailed a $425,000 confidential settlement he received from Crouch in 1998 in exchange to keep quiet about the allegations. Crouch has denied Ford’s allegations.
Ten days later, in another interview with The Times, Ford went public with details of the relationship he says he had with Crouch.
On Sept. 24, TBN filed a request with Watson asking him to hold Ford in contempt of court. A hearing is set for Monday.
“He has to be held responsible ... and we demand he has to stop talking,” said Ronn Torossian, a TBN spokesman.
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