T.D. Jakes Files Lawsuit To Reveal Identities Of ‘Defamatory’ YouTubers
A month after notorious Trinity-denier and prosperity-gospel advocate T.D Jakes filed a defamation lawsuit against a former pastor who accused him of trying to sexually abuse him when he was in his teens, his lawyer is seeking to subpoena several YouTubers who have made defamatory and unsubstantiated remarks about him. According to NBC News:
On Thursday, Dustin Pusch, an attorney for Jakes, filed a motion in the Northern District of California seeking to subpoena Google, YouTube’s parent company, to share information concerning the identities of four YouTube account holders. They are purportedly located in Pakistan, South Africa, the Philippines and Kenya, according to the accounts’ “About” sections on YouTube.
The motion said these accounts made false claims about Jakes, citing previous NBC News reporting about AI-generated misinformation on YouTube, and added that elements of the videos were likely created with AI tools, including images used in thumbnails and voice-overs.
Jakes was accused earlier this year of being involved in gay sex parties happening at P. Diddy house, in reports that Jordan A. Hora, executive director of public relations and communications for T.D. Jakes Ministries called “unequivocally false and baseless.” The motion filed by Jakes reads in part:
“These YouTubers are purportedly using the sordid and sensational allegations revolving around Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to attack, humiliate, degrade, and defame Bishop Jakes—and many other prominent black celebrities—with manufactured claims that he is guilty of the same crimes and other lewd and repulsive conduct as Mr. Combs.
In other words, YouTubers are using Bishop Jakes’s prominence as clickbait to attract unwitting users to view their knowingly false videos for their (and possibly other foreign companies’) financial gain.”
NBC News further reports:
As described in the motion and in screenshots of YouTube video titles and thumbnails viewed by NBC News, fake images show Jakes in a prison jumpsuit, in handcuffs and in sexual scenarios with other male celebrities. Video titles falsely claim that Jakes was arrested, came out as gay and stepped down from his position at The Potter’s House.
The motion said Jakes’ legal action follows a yearlong attempt to engage with YouTube’s legal counsel on the issue, as well as report videos that violate YouTube’s community guidelines around misleading thumbnails, spam, misinformation and lewd sexual imagery. YouTube has removed some of the videos, but left a majority up, the motion said.
About Author
