Trial Set in Case Against Two of David E. Taylor’s Ministries
The federal case seeks payment for a stage set that the ministries allegedly ordered but never paid for.
The trial in the lawsuit filed by Movie Prop Rentals against the Kingdom of God Global Church and Joshua Media Ministries (JMMI) has been set for December 18 in a federal district court in southern Florida. The non-jury trial may last up to two weeks.
Both the church and media ministry are led by self-proclaimed apostle David E. Taylor. The lawsuit is to recover the cost of constructing a stage set the plaintiff claims the church never paid for.
The defendants, Kingdom of God Global Church and Joshua Media Ministries, filed a motion asking the judge to prohibit the plaintiffs from presenting evidence by Richard Holmes at trial about the “personal affairs of David E. Taylor, including allegations of extramarital affairs, facts concerning the Church’s or David E. Taylor’s reputation or alleged ownership of luxury vehicles, namely an alleged Bentley and a Rolls Royce, details about David E. Taylor’s alleged residence in a mansion, and allegations that David E. Taylor is running a cult.”
They argue that evidence about Taylor’s personal affairs and reputation is “wholly irrelevant” and that introducing such evidence would “unfairly prejudice the jury, confuse the issues, or mislead the jury.”
On October 12, 2021, a Tulsa law firm, Winters & King, representing Kingdom of God Global Church issued a letter demanding that a critic of Taylor, Rich Holmes, “cease and desist from your unlawful use and publication of threatening and false statements and remove all media containing such defamatory remarks.”
The letter claims Holmes accused Taylor of leading a cult, money laundering, tax fraud, and sex trafficking. It also claims Holmes published Taylor’s social security number and encouraged others to file fraud reports against the leader to the IRS.
In April 2022, MinistryWatch reported that Taylor purchased a Tampa-area estate for $8.3 million.
The pre-trial motions will be decided by Judge Beth Bloom at the pre-trial calendar call on December 12.
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According to the lawsuit, the Kingdom of God Global Church approached the prop company in February 2020 about “designing, manufacturing, and selling a substantial stage prop configuration.”
The original design cost was about $680,000, but changes requested by the church increased the budget to $1.2 million, the court documents allege.
Over time, more changes to the stage construction were allegedly ordered by Kingdom of God Church without paying the agreed-to installment payments. The price eventually ballooned to over $2.2 million, Movie Prop Rentals claims.
According to a notice posted on the IRS website in November 2022, the tax-exempt status of JMMI was revoked in May 2021 for failing to file Form 990s for three consecutive years. Apparently, the status was also revoked in 2010 but was reinstated in 2012.
In June 2022, Creative Design and Build filed a mechanics lien in Missouri’s St. Louis county against Kingdom of God Global Church for $91,999.98. Creative Design and Build claims it provided services to remove and rebuild a deck and staircases for the church, but was only paid about 15% of the $108,000 it was originally owed.
The self-proclaimed apostle has been in ministry for 30 years after being saved and “radically converted” from a gang life by Jesus, who Taylor says appeared to him in a dream at age 17.
Taylor claims his ministry has resulted in “entire drug rings being dismantled, sex-slave trafficking being broken, blinded eyes opening, deaf ears hearing, the lame walking and the dead being brought back to life!”
Main photo: David E. Taylor / Photo via social media
