Bishop T.D. Jakes, founder of a prominent Dallas megachurch and renowned motivational speaker, has filed a federal lawsuit against former Homestead pastor Duane Youngblood.

The suit stems from Youngblood’s allegations made during an October interview on the Larry Reid Live podcast, accusing Jakes of attempting to s*xually assault him nearly 40 years ago when he was 18 or 19.

Youngblood claimed that Jakes, while in Pittsburgh supporting a local church, embraced him, attempted to kiss him, and later expressed a desire to sleep with him. He described the alleged interaction as “extremely damaging” during the two-hour podcast episode, which was titled “The Abused Become the Abuser” and has since gone viral.

The lawsuit asserts that Youngblood’s claims are false, alleging they are part of a deliberate effort to deflect attention from his own criminal history and to extort millions from Jakes.

According to the complaint, Youngblood repeated the allegations in a subsequent podcast episode on November 3, escalating his accusations to attempted s*xual assault.

On November 15, a lawyer claiming to represent Youngblood sent Jakes a demand letter requesting $6 million to settle the matter privately, warning that failure to comply would result in a lawsuit for s*xual assault and harassment.

Jakes’ legal team argues that the allegations have tarnished his reputation, jeopardized his charitable work, and taken a physical toll, noting that Jakes experienced a “medical crisis” during a church service shortly after the accusations surfaced.

The lawsuit also highlights Youngblood’s criminal background, noting that he is a registered s*x offender in Pennsylvania. Youngblood pleaded guilty in 2006 to s*xually assaulting a 15-year-old boy and served 4.5 to nine years in prison. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to corruption of minors and remains on parole.

Jakes is seeking damages for libel and civil conspiracy, with the lawsuit emphasizing the harm caused to his public image and philanthropic efforts. Youngblood has yet to comment on the case.