PRAISE TO THE HOLIEST IN THE HEIGHT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrvvHxhAIu8

Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise;
In all His words most wonderful,
Most sure in all His ways.

O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.

O wisest love! that flesh and blood,
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail.

And that a higher gift than grace
Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s Presence and His very Self,
And Essence all divine.

O generous love! that He, who smote,
In Man for man the foe,
The double agony in Man
For man should undergo.

And in the garden secretly,
And on the Cross on high,
Should teach His brethren, and inspire
To suffer and to die.

Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise;
In all His words most wonderful,
Most sure in all His ways

Reformation Italy: Documentary

Full-length documentary of Reformation Italy

Feb 25, 2012 | Filed under Uncategorized.

Pennsylvania Judge Throws Out Charge For Harrassing Atheist While Calling The Victim A Doofus

Five factors are on view, to my mind.  (1)  First Amendment issues. (2) Brandenburg Test. (3) Sharia-creep, using Sharia in adjudicating US state and federal cases.  OK legislation barring Sharia-creep may have been invalidated by an appellate court.  (??)  This is a PA state court.  (4) Judicial distemperment? And, (5) Judicial misconduct?  As much as one may abhor indecent, disorderly, dysfunctional, disrespectful and disagreeable religious speech and views, and we assuredly do, the First Amendment allows it.  An interesting record is the 36-minute tape at the end.

http://jonathanturley.org/2012/02/24/pennsylvania-judge-throws-out-charge-for-harassing-atheist-while-calling-the-victim-a-doofus/


There is a surprising story out of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania that seems the perfect storm of religious tensions. You begin with Ernie Perce, an atheist who marched as a zombie Mohammad in the Mechanicsburg Halloween parade. Then you add Talaag Elbayomy, a Muslim who stepped off a curb and reportedly attacked Perce for insulting the Prophet. Then you have a judge (Judge Mark Martin) who threw out the criminal charges against Elbayomy and ridiculed the victim, Perce. The Judge identifies himself as a Muslim and says that Perce conduct is not what the First Amendment is supposed to protect.

Perce is the American Atheists’ Pennsylvania State Director and marched with other atheists, including one dressed as a creepy Pope. Here is the tape of the incident:



Perce says that Elbayomy grabbed him and tried to take his sign. Elbayomy was at the parade with his wife and children and said that he felt he had to act in the face of the insult. The officer at the scene, Sgt. Brian Curtis, correctly concluded that Perce was engaged in a lawful, first amendment activity. He therefore charged Elbayomy. While it looks like an assault, he was only charged with harassment.


The case, however, then went to District Judge Mark Martin who not only threw out the charge of harassment but ridiculed Perce as a “doofus.” He also proceeds to not only give an account of his own Muslim faith (and say that he was offended personally by Perce’s action) but suggests that Elbayomy was just protecting his “culture.” The judge not only points to his own Koran but his time in Muslim countries as relevant to his deliberations. Putting aside the problem of ruling in a case where you admit you have strong personal feelings, the lecture given on the first amendment is perfectly grotesque from a civil liberties perspective.


Here is part of the hearing transcript:

Well, having had the benefit of having spent over two-and-a-half years in predominantly Muslim countries, I think I know a little bit about the faith of Islam. In fact, I have a copy of the Quran here, and I would challenge you, Sir, to show me where it says in the Quran that Muhammad arose and walked among the dead. I think you misinterpreted a couple of things. So before you start mocking somebody else’s religion, you might want to find out a little more about it. It kind of makes you look like a doofus. …
In many other Muslim-speaking countries, err, excuse me, many Arabic-speaking countries, predominantly Muslim, something like this is definitely against the law there, in their society. In fact, it could be punished by death, and frequently is, in their society.

Here in our society, we have a Constitution that gives us many rights, specifically First Amendment rights. It’s unfortunate that some people use the First Amendment to deliberately provoke others. I don’t think that’s what our forefathers intended. I think our forefathers intended to use the First Amendment so we can speak with our mind, not to piss off other people and cultures – which is what you did.

I don’t think you’re aware, Sir, there’s a big difference between how Americans practice Christianity – I understand you’re an atheist – but see Islam is not just a religion. It’s their culture, their culture, their very essence, their very being. They pray five times a day toward Mecca. To be a good Muslim before you die, you have to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, unless you’re otherwise told you cannot because you’re too ill, too elderly, whatever, but you must make the attempt. Their greeting is ‘Salam alaikum, wa-laikum as-Salam,’ uh, ‘May God be with you.’

Whenever it is very common, their language, when they’re speaking to each other, it’s very common for them to say, uh, Allah willing, this will happen. It’s, they’re so immersed in it. And what you’ve done is, you’ve completely trashed their essence, their being. They find it very, very, very offensive. I’m a Muslim. I find it offensive. I find what’s on the other side of this [sign] very offensive. But you have that right, but you are way outside your bounds of First Amendment rights. …

I’ve spent about seven years living in other countries. When we go to other countries, it’s not uncommon for people to refer to us as ‘ugly Americans.’ This is why we hear it referred to as ‘ugly Americans,’ because we’re so concerned about our own rights, we don’t care about other people’s rights. As long as we get our say, but we don’t care about the other people’s say.

The judge’s distorted view of the first amendment was magnified by Elbayomy’s counsel, R. Mark Thomas who called this lecture “a good dressing down by the judge. The so-called victim was the antagonist and we introduced evidence that clearly showed his attitude toward Muslims. The judge didn’t do anything I wouldn’t have done if I was in that position.”


I fail to see the relevance of the victim’s attitude toward Muslims or religion generally. He had a protected right to walk in the parade and not be assaulted for his views. While the judge laments that “[i]t’s unfortunate that some people use the First Amendment to deliberately provoke others,” that is precisely what the Framers had in mind if Thomas Paine is any measure.


Notably, reports indicate that Elbayomy called police because he thought it was a crime to be disrespectful to Muhammed. The judge appears to reference this by noting that in some countries you can be put to death for such an offense. Those countries are called oppressive countries. This is a free country where it is not a crime to insult someone’s religion — despite a counter-trend in some Western countries.


I also do not see how the judge believes that he has the authority to tell a religious critic that “before you start mocking somebody else’s religion, you might want to find out a little more about it.” Let alone call a person a “doofus” because he opposes religion.


To make matters worse, the judge is reportedly threatening Perce with contempt for posting the audio of the hearing.
The reference to the cultural motivations for assaulting Perce seems to raise a type of cultural defense. I have spent years discussing this issue with state and federal judges on the proper role of culture in criminal and civil cases. This is not a case where I would view that defense as properly raised.


There are certainly constitutional (and yes cultural) norms that must be accepted when joining this Republic. One is a commitment to free speech. If culture could trump free speech, the country would become the amalgamation of all extrinsic cultures — protecting no one by protecting everyone’s impulses. Those countries referenced by the court took a different path — a path away from civil liberties and toward religious orthodoxy. It is a poor example to raise except as an example of what we are not. The fact that this man may have formed his views in such an oppressive environment does not excuse his forcing others to adhere to his religious sentiments.


Martin’s comments also heighten concerns over the growing trend toward criminalizing anti-religious speech in the use of such standards as the Brandenburg test, a position supported by the Obama Administration.


There are legitimate uses of the culture defense. However, when it comes to free speech, that is not just our controlling constitutional right but the touchstone of our culture.


I can understand the judge’s claims of conflicting testimony on the crime –though it seems to be that the officer’s testimony and the tape would resolve those doubts. However, I view this as an extremely troubling case that raises serious questions of judicial temperament, if not misconduct.



Source: ABC

Penn Judge: Muslim Assaults American, Assault Justified on Sharia-Grounds and Case Dismissed

Assault, a felony

http://news.yahoo.com/penn-judge-muslims-allowed-attack-people-insulting-mohammad-210000330.html


Penn Judge: Muslims Allowed to Attack People for Insulting Mohammad


COMMENTARY | Jonathon Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, reports on a disturbing case in which a state judge in Pennsylvania threw out an assault case involving a Muslim attacking an atheist for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Judge Mark Martin, an Iraq war veteran and a convert to Islam, threw the case out in what appears to be an invocation of Sharia law.

The incident occurred at the Mechanicsburg, Pa., Halloween parade where Ernie Perce, an atheist activist, marched as a zombie Muhammad. Talaag Elbayomy, a Muslim, attacked Perce, and he was arrested by police.

Judge Martin threw the case out on the grounds that Elbayomy was obligated to attack Perce because of his culture and religion. Judge Martin stated that the First Amendment of the Constitution does not permit people to provoke other people. He also called Perce, the plaintiff in the case, a "doofus." In effect, Perce was the perpetrator of the assault, in Judge Martin's view, and Elbayomy the innocent. The Sharia law that the Muslim attacker followed trumped the First Amendment.

Words almost fail.

The Washington Post recently reported on an appeals court decision to maintain an injunction to stop the implementation of an amendment to the Oklahoma state constitution that bans the use of Sharia law in state courts.


The excuse the court gave was that there was no documented case of Sharia law being invoked in an American court. Judge Martin would seem to have provided that example, which should provide fodder for the argument as the case goes through the federal courts.

The text of the First Amendment could not be clearer. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof-" It does not say "unless somebody, especially a Muslim, is angered." Indeed Judge Martin specifically decided to respect the establishment of a religion, in this case Islam.

That Judge Martin should be removed from the bench and severely sanctioned goes almost without saying. He clearly had no business hearing the case in the first place, since he seems to carry an emotional bias. He also needs to retake a constitutional law course. Otherwise, a real can of worms has been opened up, permitting violence against people exercising free speech.

It should be noted that another atheist, dressed as a Zombie Pope, was marching beside the Zombie Muhammad. No outraged Catholics attacked him.

Æthelberht of Kent

Ohio Anglican gives this word at:   http://ohioanglican.blogspot.com/2012/02/thelberht-of-kent.html

We add this, "For all the saints who from their labours rest..."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoO-7M_bXAw&feature=related

Æthelberht of Kent

(also Æthelbert, Aethelberht, Aethelbert, or Ethelbert) (c. 560 – February 24, 616) was King of Kent from about 580 or 590 until his death. In his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, the monk Bede lists Aethelberht as the third king to hold imperium over other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the late 9th century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Æthelberht is referred to as a bretwalda, or "Britain-ruler". He was the first English king to convert to Christianity.

He was the son of Eormenric, whom he succeeded as king, according to the Chronicle. He married Bertha, daughter of Charibert, king of the Franks, thus building an alliance with the most powerful state in Western Europe at that time; the marriage probably took place before Æthelberht came to the throne. The influence of Bertha may have led to Pope Gregory I’s decision to send Augustine as a missionary from Rome. Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet in east Kent in 597. Shortly thereafter, Æthelberht was converted to Christianity, churches were established and wider-scale conversion to Christianity began. Æthelberht provided the new church with land in Canterbury, at what came to be known as St Augustine's Abbey, thus establishing one of the foundation-stones of what ultimately became the Anglican church.

Æthelberht’s code of laws for Kent, the earliest written code in any Germanic language, instituted a complex system of fines. Kent was rich, with strong trade ties to the continent, and it may be that Æthelberht instituted royal control of trade. Coinage began circulating in Kent during his reign for the first time since the Anglo-Saxon invasion.

Æthelberht was later canonised for his role in establishing Christianity among the Anglo-Saxons. His feast day was originally February 24, but was changed to February 25.


Propers for Æthelbert - King and Confessor

The Collect.

O ALMIGHTY God, who didst call thy servant Ethelbert of Kent to an earthly throne that he might advance Thy heavenly kingdom, and didst give him zeal for Thy Church and love for Thy people: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of Thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reference and Resources:http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/ethlbert.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethelbert_of_Kent
http://www.commonprayer.org/calend/propers/common.cfm
http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/02/25.html

For more, see:

http://ohioanglican.blogspot.com/2012/02/thelberht-of-kent.html

Why Are We Apologizing to Karzai and Afghanistan?

http://www.nationalreview.com/blogs/print/291925

An Uncommon Legacy? The 350th Anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

https://www.britac.ac.uk/events/2012/350th_Anniversary_Book_of_Common_Prayer.cfm/

An Uncommon Legacy? The 350th Anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

10.45am-5.30pm, followed by a reception

Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Venue: The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1

This year the Church of England will celebrate the 350th anniversary of the publication of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). The BCP has had an enormous influence not only in the Church of England, where it remains the official standard liturgy of the church, but also more widely in our nation. This symposium has been planned with the Church of England as a major occasion to mark the anniversary with a series of academic reflections which bring together leading scholars covering a range of historical, liturgical and ecclesiological topics:

Speakers and topics will include:

Tudor Prayer Books
The Rev Dr Gordon Jeanes (former lecturer at Durham and Cardiff Universities)

Absent Presence: Lancelot Andrews and 1662
Dr Peter McCullough (Lincoln College, Oxford)

The 1662 Prayer Book
Professor Brian Cummings (University of Sussex)

The Transition from 'Excellent Liturgy' to being 'too narrow for the religious life of this present generation': The Book of Common Prayer in the 19th Century
Professor Bryan Spinks (Yale Divinity School)

Liturgical Development: From Common Prayer to Uncommon Worship
Professor Paul Bradshaw (University of Notre Dame, Indiana)

The Prayer Book and Anglicanism: Worship and Belief
The Rev Canon Professor Paul Avis (University of Exeter)

The sessions will be chaired by: The Rt Revd Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield; Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch Kt, FBA (University of Oxford) and the Rt Hon Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE PC. Please click here for a copy of the programme.

10.45am-5.30pm, followed by a reception (registration will be from 10.00am-10.45am). Please note that lunch will not be provided, but plenty of time will be allowed for attendees to obtain lunch in the surrounding area.

Attendance is free but registration is essential. Please click here to register. Please note that if you wish to register more than one person to attend you will need to complete the registration form again with their name and details.


The event is supported by Hymns Ancient and Modern and the Prayer Book Society

Choral Evensong, 350th Anniversary of 1662 BCP, St. Paul's Cathedral, London

http://www.pbs.org.uk/society/event_detail.php?EventID=763

Event Details

Choral Evensong and reception to celebrate the 350th anniversary of 1662
Date:	02/05/2012
Time:	5.00 p.m.
Location:	St Paul's Cathedral, London
Details:	The Trustees of The Prayer Book Society warmly invite you to join them in celebration of this 350th Anniversary Year. All are welcome at the service of Choral Evensong at which we will be joined by our Ecclesiastical Patron, the Bishop of London and the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral along with our President, Vice-Presidents and honoured supporters of the Prayer Book Society. This will be followed by a reception in the Crypt. The dress code for the event is lounge suit/day dress. Entry by ticket only. Tickets for the service are free. Tickets for the Reception are £35 per head and are limited in number so will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 18th April 2012 (or 11th April for overseas visitors). Click here for full details and application form (UK). Click here for full details and application form (overseas visitors).

TBN’s Family Feud Gets Awkward

http://marcusyoars.com/?p=110

TBN’s Family Feud Gets Awkward

It’s easy to take potshots at the Trinity Broadcasting Network given some of the crazy on-air antics that rival YouTube’s most viral videos these days. But the latest allegations involving TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch are more than just a “he said, she said” case; they’re down-right weird, considering it’s the Crouches’ granddaughter filing suit.

While it should be noted the lawsuit isn’t directly against TBN, the allegations of $50 million in misused donations say enough.

I’ll blog later on this as we find out more from both sides, but for now, here’s the story our news editor just posted.
———–

TBN Founders’ Granddaughter Claims Misuse of ‘Charitable Assets’

By Jennifer LeClaire

In what may appear to outsiders as a family feud, Brittany Koper is alleging that Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) founders Paul and Jan Crouch have illegally tapped into “charitable assets” totaling more than $50 million for personal use.

But TBN’s attorney tells Charisma News that Koper—the Crouches’ granddaughter—is making “absurdly ridiculously, untrue statements.”

Koper is the daughter of Paul Crouch Jr., who served as chief financial officer at TBN until he resigned in September. At that time, younger Crouch moved into a position as director of project development at The Word Network. He declined to comment.

Koper alleges she discovered foul financial moves when she took the reigns of TBN’s finance department—and that she was instructed to keep it confidential. Koper claims she refused to cover up the alleged financial impropriety and was therefore wrongfully terminated.

“Following her appointment, Ms. Koper was specifically instructed to falsify public financial disclosures, to falsify government records, and to otherwise cover up conduct of the TBN Companies and their directors that Ms. Koper reasonably believed to be unlawful,” her lawyer argued in the complaint, which was filed in an Orange County, Calif., court.
Although it appears to be a family disturbance, Koper is not actually suing TBN. Instead, she’s making these claims as part of a lawsuit against her former attorneys at Davert & Loe. Koper is accusing the law firm of breaching its duties, professional negligence, sexual assault and inflicting emotional distress.

“Ms. Koper sought the defendant attorneys’ legal advice about these matters. In response, the defendant attorneys acknowledged that the conduct in question was unlawful but nevertheless advised, encouraged and instructed Ms. Koper to perform and cover up such unlawful activities within the TBN Companies,” the suit claims.

Colby May, TBN’s legal counsel and national spokesperson, has reviewed Koper’s lawsuit. While the suit makes assertions about financial improprieties at TBN, May says no misappropriation has taken place at the Christian broadcasting network.

“The reality is Ms. Koper is very much in hot water, shall we say, for her own misappropriation of monies and, in fact, we believe embezzlement of monies,” May told Charisma News.

“We filed all necessary documents with the Internal Revenue Service before any lawsuits were filed to alert the IRS that we believe illegal activity has taken place.”

May notes that the embezzlement did not occur at TBN, but rather from a separate tax exempt organization called International Christian Broadcasters. ICB, May explains, is primarily funded from personal contributions from the elder Crouch. May says Koper and her husband confessed to embezzling a “significant amount of money” from the organization, and ICB worked through Davert & Loe to seek restitution. Koper could not be reached for comment.

“Ms. Koper is making some flat out absurdly, ridiculously, untrue statements,” May says. “Frankly, in my estimation and view this is all a classic try-to-cover-your-tail-feathers maneuver way after the fact and way after Ms. Koper and her husband made their mea culpa and confessed to their illicit activity.”

But Koper’s attorney, Tymothy MacLeod, is pushing hard against TBN and its founders. In fact, this isn’t the first time he’s been part of a lawsuit that involves TBN. He represented Brian Dugger in a discrimination lawsuit the homosexual broadcast engineer brought against TBN in 2009.

“Observers have often wondered how the Crouches can afford multiple mansions on both coasts, a $50 million jet and chauffeurs,” MacLeod said, according to The Orange County Register. “And finally, with the CFO coming forward, we have answers to those questions.”

TBN Still in the Legal Hot Seat

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=1540924

TBN still in legal hot seat

Becky Yeh - OneNewsNow California correspondent - 2/23/2012 3:45:00 AM

The woman suing attorneys who work with the world's leading Christian broadcasting network is continuing to push her allegations.

As previously reported on OneNewsNow, Brittany Koper, the granddaughter of Trinity Broadcasting Network's (TBN) Paul and Jan Crouch, is accusing the network of handing out over $50 million in charitable assets. Koper's lawsuit is against two former TBN lawyers, accusing them of negligence and breaking their "fiduciary duty and other transgressions."

According to the plaintiff's attorney, Tymothy MacLeod, Koper has filed additional reports with the Orange County district attorney, the police, and the California State Bar. MacLeod also tells The Orange County Register that his client's report to the Internal Revenue Service will be available shortly.

Koper allegedly discovered illegal financial decisions made by the company, but she was told to fabricate public disclosures and to cover up tracks. She asserts that the two attorneys named in the suit encouraged her to do as she was told. Those individuals, including Douglass S. Davert of Long Beach, filed a lawsuit against Koper while they were representing her, but that case was dismissed last month.

The Davert & Loe attorneys maintain that Koper's allegations are fiction and without merit, and they have vowed to defend themselves. MacLeod says Koper was fired for inside whistleblowing.

TBN's 2nd Lawsuit (Text, 19 pgs): McVeigh v. TBN Operatives

http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/files/2012/02/McVeigh-complaint.pdf


Joseph McVeigh v. Trinity Christian, International Christian, and Davert & Loe.  McVeigh is an uncle of Brittany Kober, Grand-daughter of TBN's Paul Crouch.   The issue: malicious prosecution, request for declaratory relief and a jury trial.

As noted, this may lead directly to another lawsuit, directly against TBN.  At this point, these two lawsuits are aimed at TBN operatives and lawyers. 

TBN Lawsuit (OC Reg, 2/24/12): Attorney Responds to TBN Response

Paul Crouch, Founder of Trinity Broadcasting
Network, Financier, and Renaissance Pope
in all His Majesty's Glory.  Like that classy
tie?  Paul is a premier scholar and learned man.

http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/02/24/kopers-lawyer-responds-to-tbns-response/149742/

The two sides accusing one another of various transgressions at Trinity Broadcasting Network continue to wage a battle of words.

Colby M. May, attorney for Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana, responded to the latest lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court here, calling it ”absurd and contrived” and asserting that the Crouches’ granddaughter, Brittany Koper, and her family were the ones engaging in financial misdeeds.

To which Tymothy MacLeod, attorney for the Crouches’ granddaughter and her uncle by marriage, said this:

"(A)gain TBN’s real response to your article and our lawsuit isn’t Mr. May’s quote but in their subsequent retaliatory misconduct:

“Several weeks ago, we received a message purportedly handed down directly from TBN’s in-house counsel, John Casoria. We were preparing the prior malpractice suit against Doug Davert (Tustin’s former mayor) and his law firm for simultaneously suing and representing Ms. Koper in the same and related legal matters. This is as clear-cut a case of legal malpractice as you could ever expect to see. The message we received, however, warned us that, as the weeks passed, TBN would continue to terminate employees close to Ms. Koper until she stops her whistle blowing and agrees to “walk away” from her lawsuit. True to their word, TBN has already fired Ms. Koper, her father, her husband, his father in turn, Ms. Koper’s brother, and Ms. Koper’s good friend, who was also the new HR director at TBN. Yesterday, we filed a new lawsuit on behalf of yet another victim of TBN’s malicious campaign of intimidation and retaliation aimed at silencing Ms. Koper, this one on behalf of her husband’s uncle who was falsely and vindictively sued by Davert & Loe on contracts that they admitted, in writing, did not exist. In retaliation for filing that malicious prosecution lawsuit against TBN and its attorneys, TBN promptly responded by firing Ms. Koper’s young sister, who worked part time in TBN’s “Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh Gift Shop” in Costa Mesa. TBN sent us further word that they will continue to execute hostages at TBN, so to speak, until Ms. Koper agrees to keep quiet about what she learned as TBN’s chief financial officer and corporate treasurer. We are told that the next employee to be fired at TBN, unless Ms. Koper abandons her allegations against TBN, is Ms. Koper’s mother. Time will tell, because Ms. Koper will not be intimidated by such ultimatums, any more than she has been dissuaded from doing the right thing by armed thugs or by Matthew Crouch’s threats.

“TBN’s spokesman, Colby May, continues to throw stones recklessly inside TBN’s crystal cathedral, but Mr. May needs to be reminded that all of the so-called “embezzlement” allegations against Ms. Koper and her family were dismissed in both state and federal court, with no finding of liability or wrongdoing whatsoever by Ms. Koper. Nor has Ms. Koper ever admitted to embezzlement, as Mr. May has repeatedly and falsely asserted in press reports. Quite to the contrary, it is Ms. Koper who is blowing the whistle on massive allegations of financial improprieties by TBN’s directors. TBN and Colby May’s childish “I know you are, but what am I?” reaction in the press to these allegations is simply evasive of the real legal questions involved in the legal malpractice and malicious prosecution lawsuits that have been filed thus far. We look forward to meeting TBN in court on these charges, and in the additional law suits that we have been retained to file in the upcoming days.”

We’ll keep you posted.

TBN Granddaughter Not Backing Down in Suit Against TBN-Operatives (OC Reg, 2/17/12)

http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/02/17/crouch-granddaughter-not-backing-down/149135/

We told you last week that the granddaughter of Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Paul and Jan Crouch has accused the world’s largest Christian broadcaster of unlawfully distributing charitable assets worth more than $50 million to the company’s directors.

The charges were leveled in a federal lawsuit filed by Crouch granddaughter Brittany Koper against her former lawyers, who also do legal work for Trinity. One of those lawyers said her charges were “outright fiction and wholly without merit;” and an attorney for Trinity said it’s actually Koper who committed financial misdeeds at TBN, and she’s trying to divert attention by filing this suit (more on that below).

On the day we first reported this story, Paul Crouch and his son Matt were having a live chat on TBN’s “Behind the Scenes.” Paul Crouch said, “God help anyone who would try to get in the way of TBN, which was God’s plan. … I have attended the funerals of at least two people who tried.”

Koper, however, does not appear to be backing down.

Her attorney, Tymothy MacLeod, said that she has filed reports with the Orange County District Attorney’s office, the police, and the California State Bar detailing her accusations. “We have engaged accounting and audit consultants who inform us that Ms. Koper’s report to IRS investigators should be ready for submission this upcoming week,” he told us by email.

The attorneys Koper is suing, Davert & Loe, sued Koper — their client — while they were representing her, her suit says. They charged Koper and her husband with myriad financial improprieties, but that suit was dismissed last month.

Davert & Loe have engaged legal counsel through their malpractice insurance carrier to fight Koper’s suit, MacLeod said.


“We are uncertain what kind of defense the Davert & Loe Lawyers expect to present in this case,” MacLeod told us my email. “Secretly suing your own client while representing her as counsel of record in ongoing litigation, let alone giving her legal advice concerning the subject matter of the adverse lawsuit you have secretly filed, is what we call a ‘per se’ violation of professional responsibilities. We hope that this open and shut case of legal malpractice will be quickly resolved, so we can focus more intently on the larger issues here: namely Ms. Koper’s reported allegations of unlawful distributions by the directors TBN, one of the largest tax-exempt religious nonprofits in the nation.”

We asked Davert & Loe for comment, and heard back from Colby M. May, an attorney for Trinity Christian Center and International Christian Broadcasters, Inc. (Trinity does business as TBN.)


May stressed that Koper’s suit is against her attorneys, not against Trinity or TBN.

“(B)ecause you continue to report the false assertion made by Ms. Koper that Trinity’s directors have ‘diverted’ charitable assets, I am advising you of the following: (1) Ms. Koper has admitted several times to having embezzled and misappropriated money; (2) Ms. Koper’s (and her husband’s) bad conduct and activities were reported some months ago to the IRS and all required returns have been submitted; (3) in recognition of her misconduct and bad acts, Ms. Koper has made partial restitution, it was only after she and her husband fled to New York that these efforts ceased; (4) Ms. Koper’s suit against Davert & Loe, and her outrageous, false, and unsubstantiated assertions about TBN made in that suit, are a vain attempt to divert attention from her embezzlement and misconduct; and (5) at no time have any charitable assets of Trinity or ICB been ‘diverted’ to any director, period.”

And contrary to MacLeod’s statement, Koper’s suit does not present any “larger issues,” May said.
To that, Koper’s attorney MacLeod responded, “Mr. May is throwing stones inside a crystal cathedral. Ms. Koper has done the right thing by coming forward.”

Trinity Christian Center is a nonprofit in the eyes of Uncle Sam, which means it doesn’t pay taxes on its income. It reported revenue of $175.6 million, expenses of $193.7 million, and net assets of $827.6 million at the end of 2010, according to its tax returns. Its highest-paid officer was Paul Crouch, with compensation of $400,000.

TBN Cover-ups of Salacious Sexual/Criminal Scandals (Update: OC Register 2/23/2012)

http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/02/23/suit-cover-ups-of-sexual-and-criminal-scandals-at-tbn/149534/

Suit: ‘Cover-ups of sexual and criminal scandals’ at TBN

February 23rd, 2012, 9:36 pm posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

UPDATED

 

Jaw-dropping details about alleged financial digressions at Trinity Broadcasting Network were made in a lawsuit filed Thursday – including the purchase of a $50 million jet through “a sham loan to an alter ego corporation” for the personal use of the Crouches; a $100,000 motor home purchased by Trinity as a mobile residence for Jan Crouch’s dogs; “multiple residential estates” falsely reported as guest homes or church parsonages to avoid income disclosures; meal expenses of up to a half-million dollars per company director; “personal chauffeurs compensated with Trinity funds under the guise of medical payments;” and “multiple cover-ups of sexual and criminal scandals.”

The suit was filed in Orange County Superior Court by Joseph McVeigh against Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana (which does business as Trinity Broadcasting Network, the largest Christian broadcaster in the world), its International Christian Broadcasting arm, attorneys Davert & Loe (who do legal work for Trinity) and others.
McVeigh accuses Trinity and its lawyers of malicious prosecution in connection with a loan he received through Trinity companies.

So who is McVeigh? He is the uncle, by marriage, of Crouch granddaughter Brittany Koper — who sued Davert & Loe in federal court last month. Koper accused the world’s largest Christian broadcaster of unlawfully distributing charitable assets worth more than $50 million to its principals — and of firing her as its finance director, and beginning a campaign of “malicious retaliation” against her and her family (including McVeigh), for refusing to go along with the scheme.

Trinity paints a very different picture — saying it was Koper and her husband who committed financial misdeeds at Trinity.

‘ABSURD AND CONTRIVED’

While Trinity has not been served “with this absurd and contrived suit, it is nothing more than a tabloid pleading,” said Trinity attorney Colby M. May in an email. “No matter how hard Ms. Koper and her husband try to divert attention from their embezzlement and misappropriation of money, it won’t work (regardless of how many Uncle McVeighs they marshal). As I previously reported to you in the context of Ms. Koper’s suit against Davert & Loe (of which neither TBN and ICB are not parties), the outrageous, false, and unsubstantiated assertions about TBN and ICB, which are embellished in Mr. McVeigh’s suit, are untrue. The claims are nevertheless being echo-chambered in the continuing vain attempt at diversion.

“I simply remind you of the following: (1) Ms. Koper has admitted several times to having embezzled and misappropriated money; (2) the IRS was months ago informed of Ms. & Mr. Koper’s conduct, and they face considerable fines and excise by the IRS; (3) in recognition and admission of their misconduct and dishonest acts, Ms. & Mr. Koper have made partial restitution, but that stopped when they fled to New York, and (4) at no time have any charitable assets of the Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana Inc. or International Christian Broadcasters been ‘diverted’ to any director, period (except, of course, whatever Mr. & Ms. Koper diverted and embezzled).”

UPDATE: To which Tymothy MacLeod, attorney for Koper and McVeigh, said this by email:

“TBN’s spokesman, Colby May, continues to throw stones recklessly inside TBN’s crystal cathedral, but Mr. May needs to be reminded that all of the so-called ‘embezzlement’ allegations against Ms. Koper and her family were dismissed in both state and federal court, with no finding of liability or wrongdoing whatsoever by Ms. Koper. Nor has Ms. Koper ever admitted to embezzlement, as Mr. May has repeatedly and falsely asserted …. Quite to the contrary, it is Ms. Koper who is blowing the whistle on massive allegations of financial improprieties by TBN’s directors. TBN and Colby May’s childish ‘I know you are, but what am I?’ reaction in the press to these allegations is simply evasive of the real legal questions involved in the legal malpractice and malicious prosecution lawsuits that have been filed thus far. We look forward to meeting TBN in court on these charges.”

For MacLeod’s full statement, click here.

SALACIOUS DETAILS

McVeigh’s suit says that Koper was promoted to finance director because Trinity wanted somebody within the family who would keep its “financial ‘skeletons’ safely in the ‘closet.’”

The suit then delves into much more detail regarding the “unlawful and unreported income distributions to Trinity Broadcasting’s directors” than Koper’s suit does, including:

• “Multiple jet aircraft, including a $50 million ’Global Express‘ luxury jet aircraft purchased for the personal use of the Crouches through a sham loan to an alter ego corporation set up by the directors of Trinity Broadcasting in Florida, as well as an $8 million Hawker jet aircraft purchased by Trinity Broadcasting for the personal use of director Janice Crouch;
• “Multiple motor vehicles, including a $100,000 motor home purchased by Trinity Broadcasting as a mobile residence for director Janice Crouch’s dogs; the latest Bentley recently purchased by Trinity Broadcasting for director Paul Crouch, Sr.; the most recent Denali purchased by Trinity Broadcasting for director Janice Crouch; a new Suburban recently purchased by Trinity Broadcasting for director Matthew Crouch; and numerous other vehicles;
• “Multiple residential estates falsely reported as ‘guest homes’ or ‘church parsonages’ to avoid income disclosures, even though they are maintained by Trinity Broadcasting for Paul Crouch, Sr.’s personal use in Newport Beach, California; another mansion purchased by Trinity Broadcasting for the personal use of Paul and Janice Crouch in Nashville, Tennessee; residential property purchased by Trinity Broadcasting Florida for the personal use of Paul and Janice Crouch in Miami, Florida; residential property purchased by Trinity Broadcasting for the personal use of Paul and Janice Crouch in Irving, Texas; two homes purchased by Trinity Broadcasting for the personal use of Matthew Crouch in Irving, Texas, although one of the homes is used by his sons; three more homes purchased by Trinity Broadcasting for Matthew Crouch’s personal use in Costa Mesa, California (adjacent residential properties occupied by Matthew Crouch, his wife, and his two sons); a cabin in Lake Arrowhead, California purchased by Trinity Broadcasting and reserved solely for the personal use of Trinity Broadcasting board members; another mansion purchased by Trinity Broadcasting San Marcos for Janice Crouch’s personal use in Newport Beach, California; and two more mansions next door to one anothcr that were purchased by Trinity Broadcasting Florida for the personal use of Paul Crouch, Sr. and Janice Crouch in Windermere, Florida.
• “Multiple other perquisites, including meal expenses on the order of $300,000 to $500,000 per year for each director of Trinity Broadcasting; hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional credit card reimbursements for each director; personal chauffeurs compensated with Trinity Broadcasting funds under the guise of “medical payments”; fictitious ‘rent’ (and expenses) and other ‘donations’ paid to Paul and Janice Crouch for the fictitious use of a home owned by those directors in Newport Beach, California (even though the residence sits empty); and tens of thousands of dollars in ’redecorating’ expenses paid each year for such items as stain removal in the Crouch mansions;
• “Multiple backchannel distributions, kickbacks, and related schemes, such as tens of millions of dollars distributed through a company owned by TBN director Matthew Crouch, called Gener8xion Entertainment; a revocable trust account scheme by which Trinity Broadcasting’s directors were paid returns above market rate on invested funds, with Trinity Broadcasting paying the difference as undisclosed distributions to the directors; fraudulent accounting schemes by which Trinity Broadcasting luxury assets (such as the $50 million jet aircraft used by Paul Crouch Sr.) are falsely held on the books of other corporations controlled by Trinity Broadcasting’s same directors; falsely reporting income received and controlled by Trinity Broadcasting as income purportedly received and controlled by third-party corporations to avoid financial disclosures and adverse tax consequences; routine assignment of sham ‘business purposes’ to the use of Trinity Broadcasting’s luxury assets (such as frequent vacations around the world on corporate jets); and fraudulent donation and kickback schemes involving third party ‘ministries’ and entities owned or controlled through Trinity Broadcasting’s directors; and
• “Multiple cover-ups of sexual and criminal scandals, including the cover-up and destruction of evidence concerning a bloody sexual assault involving Trinity Broadcasting and affiliated Holy Land Experience employees; the cover-up of director Janice Crouch’s affair with a staff member at the Holy Land Experience; the cover-up of director Paul Crouch’s use of Trinity Broadcasting funds to pay for a legal settlement with Enoch Lonnie Ford (a former TBN employee who said he had a homosexual affair with Paul Crouch); the cover-up following director Matthew Crouch’s exposure of his genitals to cleaning staff on multiple occasions; under-the-table payments to avoid liability and punitive damages in the ongoing David Rhodes wrongful death suit, including payments funneled through All American TV, Inc., a nonprofit corporation controlled by Trinity Broadcasting’s general counsel, John Casoria; falsification of records transmitted to the South Coast Air Quality Management District in California; and the list continues.

(Note: The bolding of names and numbers is our style here on Watchdog, and is not in the suit itself.)
Trinity Christian Center is a nonprofit in the eyes of Uncle Sam, which means it doesn’t pay taxes on its income. It reported revenue of $175.6 million, expenses of $193.7 million, and net assets of $827.6 million at the end of 2010, according to its tax returns. Its highest-paid officer was Paul Crouch, with compensation of $400,000.

Koper (right), the Crouch granddaughter, has filed reports regarding all this with the Orange County District Attorney’s office, the police, and the California State Bar detailing her accusations, her attorney, MacLeod, has said. She is submitting a report to the Internal Revenue Service as well.

This is not the last of it, either.

“This is the second of four lawsuits that we have now been retained to file by individuals who continue to come forward in connection with the alleged public policy violations at TBN,” MacLeod told us by email. “There is much more to be said on these important issues, and we look forward to getting each of these cases on file on behalf of our clients.”

We’ll keep you posted.

More nonprofits:

• Koper's lawyer responds to TBN's response
• Suit: ‘Cover-ups of sexual and criminal scandals' at TBN
• Crouch granddaughter not backing down
• ‘God help anyone who would ...get in the way of TBN'
• Suit: TBN board diverted millions from ‘charitable assets'
• Charities get extra time to file taxes from IRS
• Americans are most generous in the world, survey finds
• IRS yanks nonprofit status of 3,200 O.C. charities
• O.C. animal group: No bad fundraisers
• OC: Worst homeless charity in America?

More OC Watchdog:

• Koper's lawyer responds to TBN's response
• Suit: ‘Cover-ups of sexual and criminal scandals' at TBN
• ‘Threat of an IED being detonated aboard an aircraft is very real'
• Prop. 13 squeeze spawned redevelopment monster
• Redevelopment's demise to shift $5 billion to schools, others
• How to keep circumcision bans off the ballot
• One of four dogs never leaves O.C. shelter
• Brown's pension reform would help schools, cities, more than state
• Crouch granddaughter not backing down
• Attention, online shoppers: You owe state $1.1 billion

Posted in: Churches • Justice • Nonprofits

2nd Lawsuit Against TBN-Operatives Filed in Feb 2012

This is the second legal action against TBN operatives within the last 30 days.  The first was filed by Paul and Jan Crouch's Grand-daughter, Brittany Kober.  If you do a search on our blog, you will find additional information on the first lawsuit.  This, however, is a second legal action within the last 30 days.  We hope to find the complaint.  When we do, we will post it.

http://apprising.org/2012/02/24/second-lawsuit-filed-against-tbn/

SECOND LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST TBN

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Feb 24, 2012 in Current Issues, Features

By Christian Research Network correspondent Whitt of Slaughter the Sheep

This is a repost of an original article on Slaughter of the Sheep

The new lawsuit against TBN alleges coverups of sexual and criminal scandals.
This lawsuit was filed by the uncle of Brittany Koper’s husband. Brittany Koper is, if you remember, the granddaughter of Paul and Jan Crouch, and the daughter of Paul Crouch, Jr., who is suing her attorneys for asking her to cover up financial fraud at TBN.

This is from the Orange County Register:

Jaw-dropping details about alleged financial digressions at Trinity BroadcastingNetwork were made in a lawsuit filed Thursday – including the purchase of a $50 million jet through “a sham loan to an alter ego corporation” for the personal use of the Crouches; a $100,000 motor home purchased by Trinity as a mobile residence for Jan Crouch’s dogs; “multiple residential estates” falsely reported as guest homes or church parsonages to avoid income disclosures; meal expenses of up to a half-million dollarsper company director; “personal chauffeurs compensated with Trinity funds under the guise of medical payments;” and “multiple cover-ups of sexual and criminal scandals.”

The suit was filed in Orange County Superior Court by Joseph McVeigh against Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana (which does business as Trinity Broadcasting Network, the largest Christian broadcaster in the world), its International Christian Broadcasting arm, attorneys Davert & Loe (who do legal work for Trinity) and others.

McVeigh accuses Trinity and its lawyers of malicious prosecution in connection with a loan he received through Trinity companies.
So who is McVeigh? He is the uncle, by marriage, of Crouch granddaughterBrittany Koper — who sued Davert & Loe in federal court last month. Koper accused the world’s largest Christian broadcaster of unlawfully distributing charitable assets worth more than $50 million to its principals — and of firing her as its finance director, and beginning a campaign of “malicious retaliation” against her and her family (including McVeigh), for refusing to go along with the scheme.

Trinity paints a very different picture — saying it was Koper and her husband who committed financial misdeeds at Trinity.
Continue reading…

The original appears complete with a comments section for you to join the discussion right here.

See also:

TBN’S PAUL AND JAN CROUCH’S GRANDDAUGHTER SUING FOR UNLAWFUL DISTRIBUTION OF ‘CHARITABLE ASSETS’