Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed By Sheri Coleman's Family

Lindadanette said:

Haven't been around in a while - checking in and finding the worst. But we knew it, our spirits were grieving. How could they "cover up" something so dangerous? I still think that CC "has" something on JMM that tempted her to look the other way. It would have been incredibly easy for CC to "capture the moments" of behaviors that would be considered out of character for JM and her closest associates. I know that I've heard comments spoken in "private" meetings that are a part of the reason I left a church I'd attended for 9 years.

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I was truly hoping that JMM was running a tighter ship that what is coming out now. Not only could they have possibly saved three lives, they are turning people away from the LOVE of Jesus!!!

:furious:

Kimster said:

I was truly hoping that JMM was running a tighter ship that what is coming out now. Not only could they have possibly saved three lives, they are turning people away from the LOVE of Jesus!!!

:furious:

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The sad truth is that I was turned away from Joyce by an increasingly uncomfortable sense that people were following her, not Jesus.

>>Snipped from article

Lawyers for the family of murder victim Sheri Coleman filed a motion Thursday asking a judge to order the deposition testimony of international televangelist Joyce Meyer and several of her employees.

The motion filed in Monroe County Circuit Court says the ministry’s lawyers have refused to cooperate with requests for the depositions. The lawyers are seeking judicial approval to add the ministry as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit against Christopher Coleman.

The issue will likely end in a courtroom showdown next month.

More here along with current pictures of Tara Lintz (notice the word SINFUL on her T-Shirt)

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/st...ek-judicial-order-for-joyce-meyer-deposition/

http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/1134730.html

The lawyer for JMM seems to know that this isn't over yet!

But King said he didn't believe the dismissal was the end of litigation against the ministry.

"We anticipate that they will refile the suit, naming her as a defendant," he said.<snipped from above link>

So does this mean they dropped the ministry and are now going to name Joyce Meyers as an individual? Is that what I'm reading?

Kimster said:

But King said he didn't believe the dismissal was the end of litigation against the ministry.

"We anticipate that they will refile the suit, naming her as a defendant," he said.<snipped from above link>

So does this mean they dropped the ministry and are now going to name Joyce Meyers as an individual? Is that what I'm reading?

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That's the way that I'm reading it. Sounds like they are going to go after Joyce Meyer personally.

PomMom12 said:

That's the way that I'm reading it. Sounds like they are going to go after Joyce Meyer personally.

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Wowza. That surprises me, actually. There were others in the ministry who knew about what was going on, from what Sheri's friend's letter states. :waitasec:

IMO Mr. Carey missed his opportunity for the depositions in this case, so he is going to file a completely different case against JMM. I am thinking there will be a civil case against Chris Coleman and a seperate civil case against JMM. Or maybe he is dropping her until after the criminal trial, in hopes that what she testifies to in the criminal case will open a few closed doors for the civil case.

Hello All,

It is good to see all of your good selves hopping in and continuing to hope for justice for Sheri and the children. Justice can't happen soon enough for me.

Thought I would stop in to see what was happening. Apparently there is some activity moving in the right direction, as in time moving by so that Chris can go to his criminal trial at the very least.

In the meanwhile, it is interesting that they have terminated the JMM from the lawsuit, though I really didn't understand them being added in the first place. Sure, I understand Carey wanting to gather information against Chris, but I don't understand them involving the JMM as if there was anything that they might have been able to do to stop a man who would kill if he wished. I guess I stray from the crowd in some of the thinking...

If we take this to the Nth, what might have happened? What if JMM had contacted LE and said, "An email was received, it was threatening, we have traced it to a man who works for us, the threat was against the man's own wife and family." OR what if they had said, "Can you work on this threatening email that was received?"

In either of the above cases, what might LE have done? What might have been the outcome? Does anyone have a real clue?

What if JMM had done some research on that email, then called Sheri in privately and said, "Sheri, that threatening email, we had professionals work on it, it was traced to Chris." Would they have suggested that Sheri go to LE and/or an attorney? Would they have suggested that she get herself into protection from her own husband? Might Sheri have put 2 and 2 together with Chris refusing a security system offered to him by Joyce and her husband?

Note: http://images.bimedia.net/documents/colemanfrienddoc.PDF

In the above document, January 2009 (bottom of the page), Chris was asked by friends if he thought "it was serious" in reference to the threat letter, he responded "No" evidently, that it was just some "crackpot." Is that what he told his bosses at JMM (although he made sure that they knew about the threat letter?) Was Chris trusted as an IT guy, security and IT security?

In Feb 2009, supposedly Chris brought up the threat letter and mentioned that Joyce and her husband had offered to pay for a security system for Chris and Sheri's house. Did Sheri feel okay with Chris' not wanting one, and his explanation that Sheri knew how to use a gun. Did Chris successfully communicate to Joyce, her husband and Sheri that really, there was no need for them to pay for a security system?

But wait...how about May 2009 (p. 7, http://images.bimedia.net/documents/colemanfrienddoc.PDF) Chris and Sheri mention a video that "Chris" took with a surveillance system "he had installed?" Sheri, referring to the video, evidently told her friend that they couldn't make out who the masked person was that was putting a letter in their mail box. Is it possible that some of Sheri's friend's statement was kept out of the public eye? Did Sheri ever confide to her friend that she thought the masked man looked like it could have been Chris? Did she express fear of this "threatening person?" or suggest to her friend that it was CHRIS? Is this the reason why she said to her friend that, (p. 6) "if anything happened to her Chris did it." Did Sheri have a flock of information that she tried to ignore about Chris?

I ask this question, purely rhetorically, who should have dug into this "threatening letter" thing and did not and so is responsible for these innocents dying due to inaction?? JMM, a threat came to their email? Sheri, a masked man put a threat into her mailbox? Sheri's mom or friends, did Sheri tell her mom what was going on when she went to visit her? Sheri told her friends some things, her concerns that if anything happened to her Chris did it? Mario, did Sheri express her concerns to him? Should the LE neighbor be held accountable? Exactly who should be drug into court here as responsible in a wrongful death action?

What if action had been taken on the part of any of the above? Could Sheri and the children been saved? What if JMM kept Chris working, what if they fired him -- what if his job was never really threatened by divorce, didn't Sheri's friend say that Chris went in to quit and got a raise? That Sheri mentioned he was going to leave and they offered them counseling or another position? In my estimation, to those who would like to find fault with the JMM on some wrongdoing, JMM was in a no win situation, they were damned if they did or didn't or anything in between. I'm not sure I know what they could have done right in any number of eyes.

Where is the goat (guilty one, actual person responsible)? He is sitting in jail, awaiting trial. In my opinion, it is CHRIS who is solely responsible for these murders. Other people might have done any number of things to help prevent these deaths, but who could have really realized the threat to the lives except Chris who intended to and did take them.

I do not blame any of the people in the "rhetorical" paragraph above.

I realize that I am not necessarily agreed with in the above... So what are all of your honorable thoughts?

Wrinkles

EDITED: the word scapegoat was wrongly used in the above, the word "goat" or "guilty one" was probably best, crummy vocabulary here

Wrinkles~ your post makes some great points, all of which I respect. But....as an organization that has policies in place for employees actions and behaviors, JMM should have made every effort to find the source of those threats. At least, the threats should have been turned over to LE, IMO, to both Columbia PD and Jefferson County PD. If the company, I work for got an email threatening the lives of my spouse and children they most definetly would turn it over to LE. I think JMM should be held responsible if it is proven that they did not turn the threats over to LE. JMM did not play by the rules in a few aspects of this case, and my question to anyone who cares to respond is "Why? Why on Earth would you not do everything you could do to help justice be served for this beautiful woman and her 2 innocent children?" The only conclusion I can come up with is that someone is trying to hide something! IMO

As for Sheri's response or reaction...we as outsiders have to again put ourselves in her shoes. According to the documents (http://images.bimedia.net/documents/...nfrienddoc.PDF) Chris told her it wasn't necessary to have a security system installed. He probably also told her that the threats were being handled properly. Sheri obviously trusted her husband to take care of and protect her and her children.

As for Sheri's mother and friends~ Yes people tell their mom and friends a lot about their marriages and what is going on with their lives. But there is also a lot that goes unsaid because you dont want to worry them or make them hate your spouse. I think Sheri's mom and friends probably regret every day that they didnt do more or ask more questions! I can only imagine the "what ifs" that run through their minds. In no way could they have prevented this! But there is a possibility that JMM could have prevented this and I hope that Mr. Carey can at least get some answers for Sheri's friends and family.
Again Wrinkles, great post!

Sheriannherboys.com

Hello Ccup,

Thanks for responding. Also, thanks for posting the site again, Sheriannherboys.com They are so beautiful, aren't they? I am sad beyond imagination everytime I think of what happened to them at Chris' hands. I only wish that he would save society further pain by confessing and letting them move him to quick repayment for his crimes. Everyday that goes by moves the whole situation closer to a court room where further humiliation and abuse of both Sheri and the children will go on thanks to Chris and in order to prove him guilty (because he will not confess to his crimes). I am sickened to think of what the jurors will face, at what Sheri's family and friends will learn through it all -- and all because Chris somehow lost every fiber of caring, compassion, morality... Either he lost it, or he never had it and had everyone fooled...

I cannot say that JMM had anything to hide, I don't know (are they entitled to certain privacy, I think we all are individual/business). I do not know if they (or anyone else would, either in the corporate or church world) had an ethical or moral duty to contact LE about that threat email. I cannot say if they thought (or LE would have thought) it was reasonable or unreasonable to turn over, I can imagine that the JMM must get many strange threats. I might guess that they figured turning it over would have been a fruitless effort and they may have had good reason to believe this due to past efforts in that direction -- dunno

The gent who was LE across the street from Sheri and Chris knew about the situation, did he get involved and call JMM and say, "Look, you have to turn that email over to LE for examination...just saying." (my guess is that this gent had a gut that Chris was behind it all.) This gent surely knew how the law worked and what it may or may not be able to do about such a situation. So did this man contact JMM or tell Sheri, "Call JMM, insist that this email go to LE." Hmmmm...I wonder what we will learn in court if it gets there.

I hope to be really clear... By my rhetorical question, I do not at all seek to insinuate blame on anyone who knew anything (Sheri, family, friends) for not blowing off some type of big siren. Everyone wants to hope the best, and evidently no one had any real clue that Chris actually had this potential in him.

Anymore, I am starting to think, blow the big siren at almost any possible sign -- avoid tragedies. Yet, I look back at our personal lives and think of so many things that could have set off some signals, spoke to some potentials, but nothing happened, because the blackness that obviously hit Chris did not hit us (thank God.) Gads...just how does that happen...what a huge tragedy.

Wrinkles

CCup said:

Wrinkles~ your post makes some great points, all of which I respect. But....as an organization that has policies in place for employees actions and behaviors, JMM should have made every effort to find the source of those threats. At least, the threats should have been turned over to LE, IMO, to both Columbia PD and Jefferson County PD. If the company, I work for got an email threatening the lives of my spouse and children they most definetly would turn it over to LE. I think JMM should be held responsible if it is proven that they did not turn the threats over to LE. JMM did not play by the rules in a few aspects of this case, and my question to anyone who cares to respond is "Why? Why on Earth would you not do everything you could do to help justice be served for this beautiful woman and her 2 innocent children?" The only conclusion I can come up with is that someone is trying to hide something! IMO

As for Sheri's response or reaction...we as outsiders have to again put ourselves in her shoes. According to the documents (http://images.bimedia.net/documents/...nfrienddoc.PDF) Chris told her it wasn't necessary to have a security system installed. He probably also told her that the threats were being handled properly. Sheri obviously trusted her husband to take care of and protect her and her children.

As for Sheri's mother and friends~ Yes people tell their mom and friends a lot about their marriages and what is going on with their lives. But there is also a lot that goes unsaid because you dont want to worry them or make them hate your spouse. I think Sheri's mom and friends probably regret every day that they didnt do more or ask more questions! I can only imagine the "what ifs" that run through their minds. In no way could they have prevented this! But there is a possibility that JMM could have prevented this and I hope that Mr. Carey can at least get some answers for Sheri's friends and family.
Again Wrinkles, great post!

Sheriannherboys.com

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Don't you think from JMM's prospective that they may have assumed that since the threat was against Chris' wife and children and he was the head of the security that he would have handled the investigation in the appropriate manner? Chris fooled alot of people into believing he was a loving and caring husband and family man. I really don't blame them for not turning the letter over to LE. That said, I don't agree with everything that JMM has done in handling this case.

Wrinkles~ Another great post! I guess I am not set on the fact that JMM dropped the ball, but I do feel like there are a lot of questions to be answered. The biggest thing that pushes me to believe that they have something to hide is the fact that never once did JM or JMM offer any support to Sheri's family or even mention Sheri, Garett, or Gavin's names in the small statement she posted on her website. As a ministry, dont you think JMM should have offered some sort of condolence to Sheri's family? (BTW I didn't think you were placing blame on anyone I was just debated the point)

MCDRAW~ I don't think that any company or organization should assume anything when a threat is made against their employee's family or anyone for that matter. Do you think Bill Gates would take a death threat against his body guards family lightly or assume that someone else handled it? Better yet, would take a death threat of any sorts lightly?

I realize that they are a lot of JMM haters out there and this case seems to have brought a lot of them out of the wood works. I was not a JMM hater before this case, and I wouldn't exactly call myself a hater of JMM at this point either. I do think that some of her actions were questionable and I do think that there are quite a few questions that JMM needs to answer. If they were negligent than I think JMM should be held responsible in whatever way possible. I truly believe I would feel the same way if was Bill Gates, Donald Trump, or a smal town grocery store owner.

The civil suit against JMM is mentioned in this article I found today.

http://www.bnd.com/2011/03/15/1630224/wrongful-death-civil-suit-against.html

CCup said:

IMO Mr. Carey missed his opportunity for the depositions in this case, so he is going to file a completely different case against JMM. I am thinking there will be a civil case against Chris Coleman and a seperate civil case against JMM. Or maybe he is dropping her until after the criminal trial, in hopes that what she testifies to in the criminal case will open a few closed doors for the civil case.

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I think it's smart to wait until after the criminal trial to pursue the civil case. Carey said the SOL runs out in 2011, but no exact date.

Re: Wrinkles video surveillance. I'm just going from memory of the first couple of days after the murders, I thought the subdivision where the home was had surveillance cameras somewhere in the area.

Maybe the wise guy wanted to see if he could be recognized with a mask and strange clothing on?

It doesn't make a lot of sense that he would have installed something and then taken it down. Surely he would have known that would look fishy.

Thought this was an interesting tidbit. On the missions page of the Grace Church website http://www.dotheword.com/ JMM has been removed. It used to be listed. Guess their relationship is a tad bit strained???

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_3ab11b4b-4354-5831-9af0-bdbf1075079c.html

WATERLOO • As Christopher Coleman's murder trial wound toward a close here Wednesday, lawyers for his slain wife, Sheri Coleman, refiled a wrongful-death lawsuit seeking damages from him, his ex-boss televangelist Joyce Meyer, and her ministry.

The suit relies heavily upon the criminal case allegation that Christopher Coleman wrote mysterious threats against his own family. It says Meyer and her ministry should have known the messages came from Coleman and warned his wife "to take steps necessary to protect herself and her children."
The couple's two sons were slain in 2009 as well as their mother.

The 27-page suit names Christopher Coleman, the ministry, Joyce Meyer and one of her sons, Daniel B. Meyer, a ministry executive and longtime friend of Christopher Coleman. Two counts are against Coleman, five against the ministry, three against Joyce Meyer personally, and one against her son. Each count seeks at least $50,000.Included is a claim that Meyer had a 'special duty" as the Colemans' counselor to warn his family.

This is kinda sorta quasi-local for me because it's just across the river and has been HUGE in media. Feelings here are running against this lawsuit. I don't see how it can hold water.

As an employer, Joyce Meyer Ministries would not be responsible for the activities of its employees in the employees' personal and home lives. If Chris had worked for Ford Motor or Red Lobster, would Sheri's family sue?

As a religious leader, would Joyce Meyer be responsible for a follower who chose to commit a violent crime? I've not heard of any other cases where a pastor, priest has been sued for the actions of a church member.

Joyce Meyer is a wealthy, highly visible woman, and therefore an easy target for a lawsuit.

Daisyjane said:

This is kinda sorta quasi-local for me because it's just across the river and has been HUGE in media. Feelings here are running against this lawsuit. I don't see how it can hold water.

As an employer, Joyce Meyer Ministries would not be responsible for the activities of its employees in the employees' personal and home lives. If Chris had worked for Ford Motor or Red Lobster, would Sheri's family sue?

As a religious leader, would Joyce Meyer be responsible for a follower who chose to commit a violent crime? I've not heard of any other cases where a pastor, priest has been sued for the actions of a church member.

Joyce Meyer is a wealthy, highly visible woman, and therefore an easy target for a lawsuit.

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Unfortunately for the Ministry, I think they are tied in in many ways. Sheri went to the Ministry for help. She was, in a sense, relying on them and they apparently furthered the reliance by undertaking the counseling of the couple themselves. This is not what Ford or Red Lobster would do.

Equally troubling is the fact that while Sheri was putting her faith in the ministry to help save her marriage, Meyer's son uncovered the cell phone calls to Tara...and Tara began accompanying Chris on ministry trips.

I have stated before, that my husbands company often traveled to conventions and such. We and other companies bought BLOCKS of rooms. There is little privacy.
Was the Ministry betraying Sheri and allowing Chris to have his fun..when the Ministry was conducting Save-Your_marriage counseling...and outwatdly telling Chris he had to stay in the marriage?

Furthermore, The Ministry knew of the threats, knew the marriage was in trouble, knew Sheri had been beaten at least once. If they did not care to investigate, did they not have a moral responsibility to pass along that information to the police?

It seems they were saying one thing to Sheri and winking at Chris at the same time...but demanding "for appearances" that he stay in the marriage.

It all seem duplicitous.

But maybe not.

Whether that is a legal problem, I don't know. But a civil suit will allow more detail to come out. That is good for everyone. If the Ministry has a moral leg to stand on..they'll be fine. If not..exposure is a good thing as well. They are NOT Ford or Red Lobster..they are in the faith and morality business. It pays very well. People have a right to expect a now slain young woman and her two slaughtered little boys...could trust them to "practice what they preach."