Lawsuit Claims Pastor Demanded Sex as 'God's Will'

A former employee of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles filed a civil lawsuit on Tuesday against the church's pastor, accusing the man of pressuring her to have sex with him for four years.

The claimant, Reverend Brenda Lamothe, alleged that pastor John Hunter first began coercing her into inappropriate hugging and kissing in April 2005 before the actions escalated, the Los Angeles Times reports.
According to the suit, Hunter told the woman it was "God's will" that she comply with demands for sex at the pastor's church office and in hotels in Southern California, Virginia and North Carolina.

Hunter has responded with his own lawsuit, alleging Lamothe unlawfully stole documents from him in attempts to extort money. The documents include love notes to an unnamed recipient that the pastor says were written to his wife, despite Lamothe's claims that they were sent to her.

Robert Brockman Jr, Hunter's attorney, told the news provider, "We believe Ms Lamothe…is attempting to obtain money from the church in an unlawful manner that she is not entitled to."

Though Lamothe's lawsuit alleges she was fired in 2009 after refusing Hunter's sexual demands, Brockman has presented a 2008 letter of resignation signed by the claimant, expressing gratitude to the LA pastor.