Joyce Meyer Ministries Wants Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Them Dropped in Chris Coleman Murder Case
We realize that Joyce Meyer may not want to be a part of this or called as the blame for what happened in this case, but this may be a wake up call for them to handle their employees domestic issues much differently in the future.
Read report below:
Joyce Meyer Ministries has defended itself against allegations that it was in any way responsible for the deaths of a former employee's family. A legal representative for the ministry made the assertions to a judge on Wednesday at Monroe County Courthouse in Waterloo.
"He did a terrible thing, but it had nothing to do with Joyce Meyer," said Mike King, a lawyer working for Joyce Meyer Ministries, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The case concerns Christopher Coleman, the ministry's former bodyguard and security chief, who orchestrated a six-month plot where he allegedly sent death threats to his own family to try and create the persona of a "deranged phantom killer." On May 5, 2009, the bodies of his wife and two pre-teen sons were found dead in their home in Columbia, Ill. Two years later, Coleman was convicted of three counts of first degree murder.
Joyce Meyer Ministries is now asking for a wrongful death suit against it to be thrown out, insisting that it should not be forced to take any of the blame for the horrific incident.The family of the victims, however, is saying that Coleman's employers should have known he was sending the letters, and they should have warned Sheri Coleman about her husband's unstable condition.
Christopher Coleman was also reportedly having an affair, which authorities have said may have been a factor in the murders. It has been suggested that he wanted to avoid divorce by killing his family so he could start a new life with his partner in Florida.
Frankly, the ministry should not have so much involvement in their employees personal affairs. If Christopher Coleman was seeking a divorce, they should offer a choice of counseling for restoration but not be forced out of his job because he won't reconcile with his wife. This was a huge factor in his mindset at the time. This, we believe was the problem and if the ministry had kept their hands out of his person affairs, the family may still be alive today.
