Lawsuit Dropped against Joyce Meyer's Security Chief
The wrongful-death civil lawsuit against Joyce Meyer's security chief, Christopher Coleman, was withdrawn Monday.
Coleman, 33, was accused in the deaths of his wife, Sheri Coleman, 31, and his two sons, Gavin, 9 and Garett, 11, in their Columbia, Ill. home in May 2009.
The lawsuit filed by his wife's family, which named Joyce Meyer Ministries as a co-defendant, was dismissed on Monday due to missed paperwork deadlines involving Coleman's former employer, Joyce Meyer Ministries, according to news reports.
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According to Jack Carey, the attorney representing Sheri Coleman's family, the ministry should have known that Coleman was a threat to his family.
Carey believes that the best legal strategy is to hold off on the lawsuit until Coleman's trial, scheduled in April.
Earlier this month, a Florida judge ordered Tara Lintz, Coleman's former mistress, to testify at his trial. Police believe she is a key witness in the case due to allegations that Coleman wanted to start a new life with Lintz without seeking a divorce that might have cost him his career as a bodyguard to Meyer.
Court documents alleged that he killed his family so he could be with Lintz and not lose his job.
According to reports, prosecutors say they will show a jury sexually explicit homemade videos and images exchanged between Coleman and Lintz.
Late last year, Mike King, attorney for the St. Louis-based ministries, said in a statement, "Joyce Meyer Ministries had no knowledge prior to these tragic deaths of an extramarital affair involving Chris Coleman. Neither did the Ministry have prior knowledge that Chris Coleman allegedly was the source of threats against his family."
