Church responds to former pastor's lawsuit

MOORE -- Dr. Jimmy Lady, the former associate pastor of the Moore's First Baptist Church, was fired from his job for "unacceptable ministerial services, disruptive conduct, interfering with other employees' work and excessive unexcused absences," and not because church officials thought he was bipolar, recently filed court documents charge.

Those documents are the latest filed in a civil lawsuit against the First Baptist Church of Moore.

In his suit, Lady claims he was fired because church officials believed he was bipolar. Additionally, Lady said church leaders spread "false rumors about his mental health through the community."

"Although a man of God, Dr. Lady cannot ignore the dramatic, adverse effects these untrue and unfair accusations have had on him and his family," Lady's attorney, Andrew Hicks said.

And while Lady's suit said the former associate pastor is seeking $10,000 in actual damages and $10,000 in punitive damages, at least one court document puts the figure much higher.

In an Aug. 17th letter from Hicks to church officials, Hicks says settlement in the case "will require the Church to pay Dr. Lady $2 million in compensation for his lost wages, retirement benefits, mental anguish and attorneys' fees."

Church officials continue to deny Lady's allegations.

In a 156-page motion to dismiss filed Nov. 17, the church -- through attorney Steven Lewis of Edmond -- claimed Lady was fired from his job for poor performance.

"During his third year on staff, some church members and employees began complaining about Pastor Lady's ministry," the church's motion said. "The complaints continued to grow and after several months of seeking the Lord's will, church leaders decided that it was necessary for Lady, as well as for the church, that Pastor Lady be directed to seek other employment."

Lady, First Baptist's senior pastor Kevin Clarkson concluded, was "a double minded man and unstable in all his ways."

Lady's accusation that church officials spread "false rumors about his mental health" also was denied by Clarkson.

However, in a sworn statement, Clarkson acknowledges using the word "bipolar" in meetings with Lady and his wife, but claims he was "ministerially reaching out" to the couple.

"I did use the word bipolar in my meeting with both Pastor Jim Lady and his wife," Clarkson said. "But it was in the manner of non-physican, pastor ministerially reaching out to them, asking them in they thought Jim Lady might need help or counseling."

Clarkson said he did not use the word (bipolar) in "a defamatory or derogatory manner" and did not use it with intent to "harm" Lady.

"I used the word as a simple statement of Christian concern to encourage Pastor Lady to consider seeking help."

Clarkson also denied church officials defamed Lady in public.

"All ministers, personnel team members and staff who were aware of the personnel decision were directed to keep the matter confidential," Clarkson said. "There were instructed not to tell anyone about Pastor Lady's departure."

But Clarkson did acknowledge speaking about Lady and using the word "bipolar" in meetings with some church staff members.

"I made a similar comment in a private discussion of the personnel team, but the statement was not made outside of a very small core group of fewer than seven church leaders," Clarkson said. "I also mentioned the term at a staff devotion meeting, since they were the ones who had been experiencing the direct conflicts with Pastor Lady and who had been observing his behavior and performance up close."

In their motion, church officials asked the court to dismiss Lady's suit and quash his efforts of discovery.

"The relationship between the plaintiff as a former ministerial staff member and as a member of the defendant church is a constitutionally protected relationship which is protected from discovery and judicial intrusion as a religious freedom under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution," the motion says.

A hearing on the motion is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 19 in Cleveland County District Court before Judge Bill Hetherington.