The Rev. Eboni Marshall Turman sued Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City for sex discrimination after she was not selected for the position of senior pastor, according to the complaint.
Mr. Turman, 42, submitted the following documents: lawsuit The lawsuit alleges that the church discriminated against her in the position of senior pastor on Dec. 29, 2023, and seeks “damages and equitable relief.” (Related: FIFA president pleads with New Zealand fans to buy Women's World Cup tickets after sales slump)
The Abyssinian Church lost its longtime senior pastor, Calvin O. Butts, after he died of cancer in October 2022. according to This was reported to the Associated Press. After his death, the church solicited applicants for the position, including Mr. Terman, then a professor at Yale Divinity School, the newspaper reported.
Terman has served as an associate pastor at the church for about 10 years, making her one of the youngest women appointed to the position, according to her website. However, the former assistant secretary was not shortlisted after she submitted her application to the church, according to the Associated Press.
Mr. Turman's lawsuit specifically names committee chairwoman Valerie S. Grant, accusing her of “inappropriate conduct” in asking “questions and pressing topics” that were also asked of male applicants. claims. Mr. Turman also claimed that Mr. Grant and another committee member said that Mr. Abyssinian would only hire women in senior positions “over my dead body.”
“Gender discrimination motivated the decision not to hire.” [Marshall Turman]This fact was openly discussed at committee meetings, including Mr. Grant and another committee member, who said Abyssinian would only hire women as senior pastors “out of concern for my dead body.” ,” the complaint states.
The former deputy minister is now seeking damages from the church and Grant for “lost wages, lost benefits, other economic damages, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, and emotional distress,” as well as claims of sex discrimination. It also includes an injunction to stop employment. The complaint states:
But since the lawsuit was filed, both the Abyssinian Church and Grant have pushed back on Turman's claims. (Related: Marine Corps to eliminate women-only unit amid pressure from Congress to accelerate gender integration)
Abyssinian spokeswoman LaToya Evans said Turman had been “considered” for the position because of her “impressive resume,” but that she “did not meet” “several key requirements.” He said he had decided not to proceed with the project. Associated Press. Evans also said the church was prepared to defend itself against the former pastor's aide's claims, the paper reported.
“She and others were considered for the role due to their impressive backgrounds, but in the end, the other finalists won out and met several key requirements for the role. or could not be met,” Evans said.
According to the Associated Press, Grant said Turman was one of 11 to advance from a field of 47 applicants and go through a rigorous process. Committee members said that while Mr. Turman was well-liked, he did not receive enough votes to move forward, and while decrying allegations of discrimination against Mr. Turman, they said the process was “fair to everyone.'' The paper confirmed that it was designed to
“I have a problem with people who describe this process as discriminatory and designed to deny opportunities to women,” Grant said, according to the Associated Press. “That's simply not true.”
According to the Associated Press, Grant also revealed that Truman was asked certain questions that other male candidates were not asked “because she was the only female candidate.” Mr Grant said all applicants were asked a series of questions, some tailored to the applicant.
Butts also allegedly called her “the best minister I've ever had” and “the smartest minister I've ever had,” the former assistant secretary claimed in the lawsuit. the complaint alleges. Mr. Truman also noted that Mr. Butts allegedly admitted to her that he would not hire her as her senior pastor because her church “would never hire a woman in her position.” .
The first pre-trial conference will reportedly take place. It is scheduled It was March 13th.
