Televangelist Osteen's Wife In Court

Houston Megachurch Co-Pastor Denies Assaulting Flight Attendant In 2005

(AP)  She's the wife of a renowned evangelical pastor and one of the leaders of a Houston megachurch, but Victoria Osteen is being accused of behavior that wasn't very Christian.

Opening arguments were set for Thursday in a civil lawsuit that accuses Victoria Osteen of assaulting Continental Airlines flight attendant Sharon Brown before the start of a 2005 flight from Houston to Vail, Colo.

The lawyer for Victoria Osteen called the lawsuit silly and denied that her client assaulted Brown. Brown's attorney, Reginald McKamie, said he hopes the trial will show "that celebrity status doesn't take precedence."

Victoria Osteen is co-pastor at Lakewood Church, where her husband, Joel Osteen, preaches and where about 42,000 people flock each week. Joel Osteen's weekly television address is broadcast nationally and internationally.

Brown alleges Victoria Osteen threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her in the left breast during an outburst over a stain on her first-class seat. The Federal Aviation Administration fined Victoria Osteen $3,000 for interfering with a crew member.

Victoria Osteen "clearly was angry on this flight," McKamie said.

Brown wants an apology and punitive damages amounting to 10 percent of Victoria Osteen's net worth as part of her suit.

A 12-person jury was seated Wednesday after lawyers spent several hours questioning a pool of 130 people. The questioning touched on religious beliefs, celebrity and the public's perception of preachers and televangelists.

Many of those in the jury pool said they had been to Lakewood Church and acknowledged holding the Osteens in high regard and being star-struck by them.

But other potential jurors said they didn't like preachers or televangelists and that ministers can lie.

Joel Osteen was at his wife's side Wednesday in court. McKamie said he expected to call the couple as witnesses.

According to an FAA report, Victoria Osteen pushed and elbowed Brown in an attempt to get to the plane's cockpit after two other attendants had not cleaned a liquid on her armrest.

Brown's suit claims the flight attendants asked to have Victoria Osteen removed from the plane. Victoria Osteen's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, says his client and her family left voluntarily. The incident delayed the flight about 2½ hours.

Hardin asked that the FAA report's findings not be allowed in the trial, saying the agency's investigation was incomplete. State District Judge Patricia Hancock said she would make a decision later.

Brown had previously claimed she was attacked in another incident by an airport employee, according to a deposition she gave in the case.

According to court documents, Brown claims that she suffers from anxiety and hemorrhoids because of the incident involving Victoria Osteen and said her faith was affected. She is also suing Victoria Osteen for medical expenses for counseling.

[schnee37hal]

Why has no one even mentioned that the FBI was called in by the airline the day of the alleged incident to investigate what happened on the plane and what did their spokesperson say about this? I believe it was something to the effect of: why were we called in to investigate this? Nothing happened. And if someone had attempted to gain entry into the cockpit we would certainly have charged them with a criminal offense. I believe that is close to what the FBI said about this %u201Cincident.%u201D

Btw: folks, when did you ever see the Osteen%u2019s ask for money $$ ?
watch the show sometime and see if you can even see them %u201Cpass the plate.%u201D Like %u2018em or hate %u2018em the bottom line is they don%u2019t ask for money. And as the first tele-preacher on the air that does not ask for money on the air %u2013 He should get credit for that!
Here%u2019s an idea: how about actually reading the story before having already mind up your mind.

[bikermomx2]

Last time I flew to Chicago the flight attendents were so rude, not accommodating at all, and wouldn''t even smile! I was afraid to ask for anything!! The poor mom beside me had a fussy baby and the flight attendants gave her dirty looks the whole time. Maybe she should have sued!?!? NOT! Just because the 3 flight attendents on my flight were that way, I''m sure the next 100 ones are fine. I believe the attendents could have provoked the comments.

[richzurb]

While I have no doubt that the flight attendant is trying to cash in on someone that is rich. So what! These telvangilists bleed their hard working followers dry just so they could live the life of luxury. Victoria Olsteen is the perferct example of a little rich b*itch that thinks she is entitled and better than the rest of us commoners. They do not believe in God for religious purposes, religion is not a faith to these people it is a business. Why could they (combined)just not take say $250,000.00 per year (a lot more than most people make) as a salary for their work in the church and then take the rest of what they collect and do some good with it.

If these are treuely religous people who believe in God, Jesus and what the bible tells (teaches) us than why do they ignore Mark 10:25 which says "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
If you need an explanation to what this means Victorias behavior is a perfect example. Money has made her believe she is privillaged. The bottom line is money corrupts a weak person.

[poker_champp]

These two characters deserve each other.

[crazycwp]

I hope Ms. Brown gets everthing she asks for. From the first time I saw Mr. Osteen on the tube, I KNEW he was a fake, most all tele preachers are. The ONLY decent one is Rev. Billy Graham, he is a REAL MAN OF GOD. I could tell that the first time I saw him,too. I''m hearing echoes of Jim and Tammy Faye in the Osteen''s.

[patriot12436]

causeway
I take exception. I found most ladies of Texas to be very charming.

[toldyouso12]

"Brown wants an apology and punitive damages amounting to 10 percent of Victoria Osteen''s net worth as part of her suit. Brown had previously claimed she was attacked in another incident by an airport employee, according to a deposition she gave in the case.

According to court documents, Brown claims that she suffers from anxiety and hemorrhoids because of the incident involving Victoria Osteen and said her faith was affected. She is also suing Victoria Osteen for medical expenses for counseling."

Brown is an opportunist and a liar who first blamed someone else for a "fight" then after she found out someone more lucrative could be blamed she went after Olsteen. No matter what happened, the flight attendant''s grievances are not worth more than her medical expenses, and perhaps a few weeks of her own salary NOT the salary of the Olsteens. The fact that she appears to routinely get in fights to blame people and perhaps sue them for money, makes her look like a lying opportunists out to find somebody rich to sue. I hope she gets nothing and I also hope she is fired for lying and hamstrings herself on the stand for perjury.

[demwatcher]

The stewardess ($h!t on that PC ''flight attendant'' crapola) wants 10 percent of Osteen''s money, but says it is not about the money.

I hope her hemorrhoids consume her.

[dmhphils]

Posted by kansas1946

Let''s not be so judgmental now, you twit.

[kansas1946]

AP) She''s the wife of a renowned evangelical pastor and one of the leaders of a Houston megachurch, but Victoria Osteen is being accused of behavior that wasn''t very Christian.

**********************************

All that these people are are money-grubbers. I can not for the life of me understand why anyone would send them any money. Don''t people have churches in their own communities??? Those churches at least provide some services for the communites that they are in. These tele-preachers are disgusting.