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Thread: Housekeeper sues Marvin Winans and his church

  1. #1

    Housekeeper sues Marvin Winans and his church

    https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...er/1207610002/

    I just saw a YT video about it..I hadn't heard about it before...

    Her job was to clean the church. But the church tried to clean her out instead, she claims.

    In a blistering lawsuit against the Grammy-winning Rev. Marvin Winans and his Perfecting Church, a housekeeper named Lakaiya Harris claims the gospel music star and church officials shook her down for money. They required her to donate money toward birthday gifts for supervisors and managers and to tithe 10% of her salary to the church, the lawsuit claims.

    When she refused to pony up, Harris says, she was fired.

    According to the 18-page lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, it was Winans who demanded that Harris donate 10 percent of her $18,000-a-year housekeeper's salary to the church. Winans allegedly did this during a meeting in a conference room in 2017, telling Harris "that it had come to his attention" that she earned $18,000 the year before.

    " 'So you owe us $1,800,' " Winans allegedly told Harris, the suit states. "When she stated that she didn't have the money, he offered to deduct the $1,800 directly from her biweekly paychecks."

    Harris refused, stating she was not going to let the church deduct $1,800 from her paycheck and "complained that her job had already been threatened for not giving 'birthday money,' " the suit states.



    According to the lawsuit, supervisors repeatedly required Harris to give $10-$25 to buy birthday presents for managers and once offered to deduct the money from her paycheck "if need be." One supervisor allegedly pestered Harris when she refused to donate to the birthday fund, telling her "Well, you're going to have to give this $10. ... I know you have $10 floating around in your little world, you just don't want to give it up. Everybody has to give this," the suit states.

    At issue for Harris is that she is both a member of Perfecting Church, and an employee. In her lawsuit, she claims that other employees who work for the church but don't belong to it aren't required to tithe as a condition of employment.

    But she is. And forcing only church-member-employees to give back 10 percent of their earnings violates employment and civil rights laws, Harris claims.



    WOW.

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to FaithfulOne For This Useful Post:

    Ezekiel 33 (09-14-2018), Romans828 (09-13-2018)

  3. #2
    Senior Member Romans828's Avatar
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    Not surprised at all -

  4. #3
    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    Very sad...you pay someone for their labour and not try to force them to give.

  5. #4
    That’s messed up.

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    Ezekiel 33 (09-14-2018)

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    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Romans828 View Post
    Not surprised at all -

    Why do you say that?

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    Administrator fuego's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Romans828 View Post
    Not surprised at all -
    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    Why do you say that?
    I'm not surprised either, but i'll let Romans828 tell you why. :)

  9. #7
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    If her employment papers say that she has to pay a tithe to the church if she's a member there then they should have simply deducted the sum before issuing a paycheck.

    If her membership in the church implies that she has signed an agreement stating that she now has to tithe to the church then they could cancel her membership but this wouldn't affect her employment unless her employment papers state otherwise.

  10. #8
    Senior Member Romans828's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fuego View Post
    I'm not surprised either, but I'll let Romans828 tell you why. :)
    I've heard tons of stories similar to this from members and former members of churches where "Prosperity," "Seed Sowing," and "Tossing Money at the Feet of the Preacher" was pretty much the main focus of the ministry.

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    fuego (09-14-2018)

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