A federal judge has dismissed the final claim in disgraced pastor Johnny Hunt’s $100M lawsuit against his former denomination and their respective entities, with the final nail against then-SBC president Bart Barber now fully resolved.
A decade ago, Hunt engaged in what he describes as a “brief, consensual extramarital encounter,” and what the woman involved maintains was non-consensual sexual assault. His church was never told about the incident and he went through a secret restoration. It remained a secret for a decade until it was outed in the recent Guidepost investigation.
These allegations of sexual assault and revelation of (at the minimum) a “brief, consensual extramarital encounter” caused Hunt’s life and ministry to implode. He lost his job as VP at NAMB, was formally suspended from his position as Pastor Emeritus at First Baptist Church of Woodstock congregation, and was subject to great personal embarrassment.
Hunt sued the SBC and Guidepost for labeling him as an abuser and making this public, saying that his sexual encounters were no one’s business but his own. In court transcripts, Hunt insisted that while he may have been ‘unfaithful’ to his wife by kissing another woman’s breasts and pulling down her underwear, he did not commit adultery, as no penetration took place.
Hunt sued for $100M, alleging “economic harms of $15.4M, harm to reputation of $30M – $45M, and emotional harm of $30M – $45M.” Of special note is that Hunt says he has lost $610,000 a year in lost wages, along with $3,969,00 a year in book sales and another $350,000 a year in speaking engagements.
Last year Judge William Campbell granted motions for summary judgment ruling in favor of SBC, the Executive Committee, and Guidpost Solutions, but at hand was this remaining tweet from Barber:
The ruling states:
Court concludes that Hunt was a public figure during the relevant time. And because he was a public figure, the actual malice standard applies to his defamation claims. As the Court previously explained, Hunt does not have evidence that the Tweet (or any of the publications) was made with actual malice.
Explaining further how he was a public figure, the court writes:
Hunt professed renown, describing himself as the “pinnacle,” “face of the Convention,” someone that “everyone in the convention knew,” a “sought-after speaker and author,” and a “noted speaker at state and national SBC conferences and conventions.”
…Hunt was, in fact, well-known within the community of Southern Baptists and beyond. He was pastor of one of the largest churches in the United States for over 30 years (over 15,000 members with 6,000 attendees on Sundays).
From 2008-2010, Hunt was President of the SBC, which, with over 12 million members, is one of the largest evangelical bodies in the country. Then, in 2019, because they “wanted [his] name,” the SBC-affiliated North American Mission Board (“NAMB”) hired him as Executive Vice President.
More than that, however, his sermons were streamed on the Internet and available for purchase; he published and sold numerous books; and he published other materials online on what “became an extremely popular website for pastors around the world.” For over a decade Hunt had one of the “most popular devotions in America” that was published by Harper Collins, the second-largest consumer book publisher in the world.
In 2022 and currently, Hunt’s website lists approximately 1,500 items for sale, including books and sermons. Hunt claims nearly $4 million in damages for lost book sales alone. Hunt hosted various conferences each year, including a men’s conference every year for 30 years. He spoke to groups across the country.
In 2010, Hunt incorporated “Johnny Hunt Ministries,” through which his publications and speaking engagements are channeled.
Moreover, on November 23, 2022, after working with a publicist and his “restoration team,” Hunt released a scripted fourteen-minute video announcing his “restoration” and return to ministry. Hunt’s announcement of his restoration drew attention from religious and mainstream news outlets.
The video, Hunt’s website, and extensive publications, and the wide-spread attention from the press at the time show that Hunt had and still has access to channels of communication and therefore, had a “more realistic opportunity to counteract false statements than private individuals normally enjoy.”
Speaking about the ruling, Barber wrote on X:
2 responses to “Judge Dismisses Johnny Hunt’s Final Claim in $100M Lawsuit Against SBC”
The court made the right ruling, but not necessarily for the right reasons. At the root of the dispute over the tweet is the question of whether or not the truth is harmful. The court didn’t address that. Though the law of the land is close to correct. It’s not the truth that is harmful, it’s the malicious use of the truth. In other words, there are other sins involved. The law fails by making it’s measure whether or not someone is harmed or their reputation is harmed. Because only God knows and truly understands the harm that results from sin. Mankind’s measure will always be insufficient. And it is indicative of how deeply the disease described in Romans 1 has infected mankind and is worsening more and more. But there’s more to this. For example, Hunt appealing to God’s standards one minute and the Caesar’s standards the next, picking and choosing which he will follow dependent on what benefits him the most. One who has truly repented and is truly born again will accept the consequences of his sin. He will not point the finger at others demanding forgiveness. Just as the Lord’s mercy is a free gift, so is the mercy of others. We often refer to Matt. 18:15-17, but stop reading too soon. What does Jesus say next? In Matt. 18:18-20, what does He tell us? Whatever the one who is wronged binds on Earth will be bound in Heaven. And whatever the one who is wronged looses on Earth will be loosed in Heaven. Not might be. Not may be. Will be. In other words, the Lord guarantees justice. Revenge is His, He will repay. Not might, maybe, could possibly … will. And it makes perfect sense for the reason given. A truly repentant man will humbly accept the consequences the Lord has prescribed, and will even impose consequences on himself as it pertains to making things right. For example, a repentant thief will return what he stole (and by God’s standards in the Law of Moses should return an additional 1/5th). Saying “sorry” while keeping what you stole is not true repentance. Right? A truly repentant man will not demand forgiveness and point fingers at those who haven’t forgiven and forgotten to a degree he considers satisfactory. And an attempt to hide the sin, just as Adam and Eve hid their nakedness, is itself an attempt to dodge the consequences. The end result is that the grace of God is perverted into a license to sin (Jude, etc.), in significant part because the repentance is not genuine. Hunt also rebelled against scriptural qualifications for ministry. He knows he’s not qualified, and that all ministry activities, including book sales etc., must cease. But his greed has gotten the better of him, which is an absolute disgrace for a man who became a multi-millionaire from his ministry. The court is also close to correct by referencing the “public figure” distinction, but we know God’s standards of justice point directly to what type of public figure – i.e., a minister who is severely disqualified by God’s standards. By Caesar’s standards, Hunt is still perfectly qualified for ministry. Right. So justice has not been done. Not true justice as God has established.
Just a simple application of the simple Golden rule would go a long ways … Would he want another man to do the same to his own wife? Would that man be innocent and sinless? Would that man have done nothing adulterous? Would that man be qualified for ministry?
” … and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Tim. 6:5-10)
Notice “depraved in mind and deprived of the truth” – points directly to Romans 1, the deprivation of the mind is resultant from the suppression of the truth. And it points to 2 Tim. 3, which describes the condition of the church. Why is the truth suppressed? Why is grace perverted? Loving comfort and pleasure rather than loving the Lord, which again points right to Romans 1 and three times the Lord “gave them up to …”.
The court made the right ruling, but not for the right reasons. And I’d have to disagree with Bart’s assertion that justice was done. Just because the outcome was what would otherwise be just doesn’t mean that justice was done. As the Lord defines justice (which is the only definition), the courts of Caesar didn’t come anywhere close to addressing the matter of justice. And that means that though the outcome might appear to be just, the reasoning behind the ruling will set a bad precedent somehow or another. It is important to recognize and understand this. Mankind is in a very bad condition right now. That includes the courts of Caesar. And worse, it includes the church (which is the subject of 2 Tim. 3). I wouldn’t be too quick to rejoice.
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