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The oldest black church in Los Angeles this week filed a lawsuit against its former pastor, his wife and a small “cabal” of church leaders, the latest move in an ugly battle for control of the church and its nonprofit corporations.

The 14-page lawsuit, filed Tuesday by the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, is filled with allegations against the Rev. John J. Hunter and his wife, Denise, accusing the couple and other leaders of “holding dictatorial control over [the church] … for their own personal gain — both financially and for self-aggrandizement.”

The bishop who oversees AME churches in the western United States abruptly transfered Hunter to a church in San Francisco in late October. But that church took the rare step of rejecting Hunter. On the day he was supposed to deliver his first sermon, church members physically blocked him from taking the pulpit.

DOCUMENT: Read the lawsuit

Now Hunter is fighting to regain his position as pastor at First African Methodist Episcopal. He continues to live in the posh Encino home that the church pays for while the new pastor, the Rev. J. Edgar Boyd, lives in a hotel and is not receiving a salary. Hunter’s wife is also refusing to relinquish control of the church’s nonprofit organizations, according to the lawsuit.

Hunter has had a rocky tenure at the church. Since taking over First AME in 2004, Hunter has been sued for sexual harassment, a civil claim that was settled for an undisclosed amount. The Times reported in 2008 that an internal audit found he charged $122,000 in jewelry, family vacations and clothing to the church’s credit card. He later agreed to a nine-year repayment plan.

He earned a generous salary during his tenure, lived in a $2-million home and drove a Mercedes-Benz paid for by the church. His wife earned $147,000 a year running nonprofit organizations connected to the 19,000-member congregation.

But over the last few years, the hilltop church in the West Adams district has fallen into debt. The church owes nearly $500,000 to creditors and some vendors say they have not been paid in more than a year.

In interviews this week, Hunter defended his stewardship of the church and said he was “blindsided” by the lawsuit.

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article courtesy of TheLATimes.com

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