PITTSBURGH (PA)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
October 22, 2025
By Mark A. Kellner
A federal lawsuit filed by televangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes against Pittsburgh-area pastor Duane Youngblood has been jointly dismissed, ending a year-long legal dispute that drew national attention in faith and media circles.
The voluntary dismissal was filed October 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Jakes, 68, sued Youngblood, 59, after the latter—in two explicit 2024 podcasts posted to YouTube by Atlanta pastor-broadcaster Larry Reid accused him of attempted sexual assault. Soon after the second podcast, the lawsuit says Youngblood tried to extort Jakes for $6 million or he’d sue.
Instead, Jakes denied the allegations and filed suit against Youngblood on Nov. 25, 2024, alleging defamation, misuse of likeness, and related claims tied to online statements and digital content.
A day before filing the lawsuit, Jakes suffered a heart attack while preaching at The Potter’s House, the Dallas megachurch he founded. The incident, occurring on the eve of litigation, drew widespread public attention to both Jakes’s condition and the escalating dispute.
The charismatic Jakes denied claims by Duane Youngblood and later his brother Richard, also a pastor, that the bishop had, years earlier, attempted to sexually assault them.
Court records indicate that Jakes sought legal relief for what his attorneys described as reputational harm resulting from “false and defamatory statements” and “unauthorized use of personal likeness for promotional purposes.”
Youngblood, pastor of The Church of the Harvest in Pittsburgh and a twice-convicted felon related to child sex abuse, denied any wrongdoing through counsel. His defense maintained that any statements made were constitutionally protected expressions of opinion or commentary on matters of public concern.
The lawsuit and Youngblood’s motion’s to dismiss grew to involve Jakes’ son Jermaine.
The lawsuit’s conclusion comes one week after attorney Tyrone Blackburn, who had represented Youngblood, withdrew from the case. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV sanctioned Blackburn after finding that court submissions he prepared contained fabricated legal citations and misrepresentations.
Stickman, a 2019 appointee of President Donald Trump, wrote that Blackburn’s misuse of artificial intelligence in preparing court filings could not be excused: “At this point, any attorney—but especially attorneys like Blackburn with a cosmopolitan, multi-state, practice—cannot plead ignorance to justify their use or misuse of AI in drafting legal documents.”
The judge assessed a $5,000 fine against Blackburn, to be paid to Jakes’ attorneys, who had asked for more than $76,000 to compensate them for their time on the case. In an email to The Dallas Morning News, Blackburn sought to explain his actions, writing: “AI is taking over the legal community, and I was not immune to the errors that may arise from this new trend.”
Last week, attorneys for both Jakes and Youngblood jointly filed the Notice of Dismissal under Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(ii) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The filing states that the case is dismissed “by consent of all parties who have appeared in this action,” meaning no further judicial order was necessary.
Because the notice was filed under that rule, the dismissal took effect immediately upon filing. The court is not expected to issue any additional opinion.
The filing was signed by attorneys on both sides. Counsel for Jakes included Dustin A. Pusch and Amy M. Roller of Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP in Washington, D.C.; Devin J. Chwastyk of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Derrelle M. Janey of The Janey Law Firm P.C. in New York.
Representing Youngblood were Brad N. Sommer and Paul A. Ellis Jr. of Sommer Law Group P.C., based in Pittsburgh.
The joint notice confirms that “all sides agreed to end the matter without prejudice,” meaning the plaintiff may refile the same claim in the future.
Legal analysts note that such dismissals are typically entered when parties reach an agreement outside of court—either a settlement or a decision that continuing litigation no longer serves their interests.
The Roys Report (TRR) contacted current attorneys for both Jakes and Youngblood seeking comment but did not immediately receive a response from Youngblood’s camp.
Attorney Dustin Pusch, part of the Jakes legal team, told TRR via email the dismissal followed victories in earlier phases of the case.
He said, “The Court has consistently ruled in Bishop Jakes’s favor throughout this matter, and with the established record in the case proving the utter falsity of these claims, there is nothing further to pursue. In the interest of judicial efficiency and closure for all involved, Bishop Jakes has chosen to dismiss the remaining claims and focus his attention on continuing the global ministry and community work that have defined his life for nearly five decades.”
NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect a statement received from an attorney representing Bishop T.D. Jakes.