Televangelist Creflo Dollar Sued for Fraud, Stealing Global Text Messaging Business, According to Pa

ATLANTA - /PRNewswire/ Prominent Atlanta televangelist Rev. Creflo A. Dollar, his son and ministry staff are accused of stealing a "devotional" text message business concept that the ministry then marketed to Dollar's billion-viewer worldwide television audience, according to three law firms representing a California businessman in a lawsuit filed today in California state court.

Devone Lawson, of Marina del Rey, Calif., alleges that the World Changers ministry and its employees worked with Lawson's company, The Giant Killers, Inc., for more than a year on the business venture before the ministry violated a non-disclosure agreement and formed another company controlled by Rev. Dollar's son, Jeremy, to launch the text message service in 2006. After Lawson discovered the theft, and attempted to resolve the matter amicably, he was told by the ministry to just "sue us."

The lawsuit alleges that in 2004, well before the explosion of SMS text messaging and subscription daily text message services, Lawson and his company developed a proprietary business idea to create an SMS text messaging service that would enable subscribing members of various church congregations to receive daily devotional or inspirational SMS text messages from the church organization or church leaders themselves.

According to the lawsuit, the ministry's "Word on the Go" text messaging service, which was launched in late 2006, was Lawson's proprietary business idea. The service sends paid subscribers daily devotional text messages from Rev. Dollar and is believed to generate more than $50 million per year in revenue to the ministry.

Mr. Lawson and The Giant Killers, Inc. are represented by James M. Evangelista and David J. Worley, of Page Perry, LLC, of Atlanta; Jeffrey B. Valle and Steven M. Ragona, of Valle & Associates, of Los Angeles; and M. Quentin B.L. Williams, of The Butler Lappert Williams Firm PC, of New York.

James Evangelista, of Page Perry, LLC, stated, "This lawsuit exposes the absolutely worst kind of greed and malfeasance -- that which is conducted under the cloak of a religious enterprise. Apparently, Rev. Dollar and the Dollar Ministries do not practice what they preach, unless the 'prosperity gospel' they preach justifies fraud and theft in the attainment of material wealth."