Bishop Larry Shaw from Atlanta is making national headlines with his decision to sue Bishop John Sheard from Detroit.
You may recognize the last name Sheard, it has a deep legacy in the Christian community. Bishop John Sheard is the father of Mega-Church preacher Bishop J. Drew Sheard, who is best known as the husband of Gospel singer Karen Clark-Sheard. His son Bishop J. Drew Sheard, was also featured prominently in the BET reality show ‘The Sheards.’
The plaintiff Bishop Larry Shaw is suing Bishop John Sheard for defamation, after he says Sheard hired a blogger to post a twelve year old letter about Bishop Shaw online.
A woman wrote the letter 12 years ago accusing Shaw of rape and other vile crimes.
When asked if anything in the letter was true, Shaw replied, “None.”
Shaw said the church investigated and determined it was nonsense, a failed ploy to cost him a church election.
“I made bishop after that because they proved that the letter was nonsense,” Shaw said.
Then last year, Shaw got into a dispute with Bishop John Sheard of Detroit, who is the chairman of the executive board of the Church of God in Christ. Shaw is secretary.
[Bishop John Sheard]
The lawsuit alleged that sheared hired a controversial blogger named William McCray III to post the letter online.
Shaw is now suing them both for defamation.
“The day that my granddaughter came to me and said, ‘Paw paw, what are you doing on the Internet?’ That brought me to tears to know that my grandchild knew about this misinformation,” Shaw said.
Shaw said he wants the letter removed from the Internet and for the court to award damages.
Sheard’s attorney told J. Drew Sheard had nothing to do with the blogger posting that letter. He said Shaw doesn’t want his reputation harmed and yet, he pointed out, Shaw and his attorney are the ones who called the media.
