Embattled New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, which has been under media scrutiny since four young men accused pastor Bishop Eddie Long of seducing them, is facing more heat this week, this time from a female employee who says that she was sexually harassed by another employee in Long's inner circle. In the civil lawsuit Tama Colson filed Wednesday, she claims that a male employee showed her a picture of his penis, and when she complained, he and others relatiated against her. The suit is against the church, and Long is not named as a defendant. A church spokesperson said in a statement: "Tama Colson's complaint allegedly happened in October of 2009. Although, Tama Colson was aware of the New Birth sexual harassment policy, [which states the harassment must be reported within 48 hours,] she did not make her complaint known to New Birth authorities until August of this year. New Birth moved swiftly to launch an investigation that is ongoing." For her part, Colson says she talked to a security official at the church the day the alleged incident occurred. Whether this thing happened or not, what's up with this 48-hour sexual harassment statute of limitations they've got going on over there? It hardly seems employee friendly.
Read more at CNN.com.
Lauren is a former Deputy Editor of The Root.