Zachery Tims Death: Florida Pastor's Kin Issue Clarification on NYC Lawsuit
The mother of Zachery Tims, the late pastor of New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC) who was found dead in a Times Square hotel room in August, has filed a lawsuit against the City of New York and the medical examiner's office Friday.
Meanwhile, Rena Tims, sister of the pastor's ex-wife, Riva Tims, reportedly confirmed that her sister is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Previously, Riva Tims issued a statement via her Facebook page.
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The lawsuit filed by the pastor's mother, identified by the Orlando Sentinel as Madeline Tims, will not be resolved before Nov. 23, when it would be looked into by the Manhattan State Supreme Court, the New York Daily News reported Saturday.
The initial autopsy on the Tims was inconclusive and investigators were waiting on the results of a toxicology exam to determine the charismatic preacher's cause of death.
The New York Chief Medical Examiner's spokesperson Ellen Borakove told The Christian Post last week that only the cause and manner of death can be made available to the public upon request, according to New York law. Borakove told CP that the actual toxicology report can only be seen by next of kin.
Zachery Tims' mother reportedly sued both NYC and the New York medical examiner's office Friday. The mother of the Florida pastor who was found dead on the floor of a New York City hotel room on Aug. 12, reportedly with a small bag of white powder in his pocket, does not want the examiner to make the cause of Tim's death available to the public. If she is successful, the court could prevent the press and the public from knowing the pastor's manner of death.
Meanwhile, allegations that Riva Tims, the late pastor's ex-wife, was also a party in the lawsuit started appearing in various news reports. Riva Tims felt obliged to publish a clarification on her Facebook profile.
"Dear Facebook Family, I wanted to clear up a matter that has recently come to my attention," she wrote. "There are several news articles claiming that my ex-husband's mother and I are suing the City of New York to keep his cause of death secret. I was not aware that his mother filed suit and I am in no way involved in this matter."
"I have not filed suit and I don't plan to file suit in the future," she added.
