Summary

PROSPECTIVE JURORS IN THE $90 MILLION DEFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST TELEVANGELIST JIMMY SWAGGART HAVE BEEN ASKED WHETHER THEY READ THE BIBLE AND BELIEVE A PERSON CAN BE POSSESSED BY SATAN. THE TRIAL BEGAN TODAY, MONDAY, IN ORLEANS PARISH CIVIL DISTRICT COURT. IT STEMS FROM ALAWSUIT FILED IN 1987 BY RIVAL EVANGELIST MARVIN GORMAN. WITH 24 LAWYERS ACTIVE IN THE CASE, AND MANY TAKING TURNS QUESTIONING JURORS, THE SELECTION WAS EXPECTED TO TAKE AT LEAST A WEEK. GORMAN CLAIMS THAT IN 1986 SWAGGART CONSPIRED TO RUIN HIS NEW ORLEANS TELEVISION MINISTRY BY FALSELY ACCUSING HIM OF HAVING ADULTEROUS AFFAIRS. GORMAN ADMITTED TO A SINGLE ``IMMORAL ACT'' WITH A WOMAN. GORMAN HELPED BRING DOWN SWAGGART TWO YEARS LATER BY PROVIDING PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE BATON ROUGE-BASED EVANGELIST WITH A PROSTITUTE. THE LAWSUIT ALSO CLAIMS THAT THE REV. TOM MILLER SMEARED GORMAN BY TELLING FELLOW MINISTERS THAT DURING AN EXORCISM HE HEARD THE DEVIL SPEAK IN GORMAN'S VOICE.

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 129342
Story Slug JIMMY SWAGGART TRIAL (1991)
Location NEW ORLEANS, LA
Format VO/SOT
Date 07/15/1991
Archive Time 47:47
TRT 2:18
Supers MARVIN GORMAN, EVANGELIST JIMMY SWAGGART, FORMER TELEVANGELIST
Video Description MARVIN GORMAN WALK SHOT, PUSHING WHEELCHAIR OF ATTORNEY, JIMMY SWAGGART ENTERING COURTHOUSE, TALKING WITH REPORTERS, WALK SHOT
Description PROSPECTIVE JURORS IN THE $90 MILLION DEFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST TELEVANGELIST JIMMY SWAGGART HAVE BEEN ASKED WHETHER THEY READ THE BIBLE AND BELIEVE A PERSON CAN BE POSSESSED BY SATAN. THE TRIAL BEGAN TODAY, MONDAY, IN ORLEANS PARISH CIVIL DISTRICT COURT. IT STEMS FROM ALAWSUIT FILED IN 1987 BY RIVAL EVANGELIST MARVIN GORMAN. WITH 24 LAWYERS ACTIVE IN THE CASE, AND MANY TAKING TURNS QUESTIONING JURORS, THE SELECTION WAS EXPECTED TO TAKE AT LEAST A WEEK. GORMAN CLAIMS THAT IN 1986 SWAGGART CONSPIRED TO RUIN HIS NEW ORLEANS TELEVISION MINISTRY BY FALSELY ACCUSING HIM OF HAVING ADULTEROUS AFFAIRS. GORMAN ADMITTED TO A SINGLE ``IMMORAL ACT'' WITH A WOMAN. GORMAN HELPED BRING DOWN SWAGGART TWO YEARS LATER BY PROVIDING PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE BATON ROUGE-BASED EVANGELIST WITH A PROSTITUTE. THE LAWSUIT ALSO CLAIMS THAT THE REV. TOM MILLER SMEARED GORMAN BY TELLING FELLOW MINISTERS THAT DURING AN EXORCISM HE HEARD THE DEVIL SPEAK IN GORMAN'S VOICE.
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