Church and Ministry Court Cases to Watch in 2026, Part 2:

Barry Bowen

The following list of ten cases currently moving through the court system proves there is a critical need for Christian media to employ court reporters or legal analysts to provide timely news reports and commentary while explaining the application of law to church and ministry litigation and criminal prosecutions.

Kevin Adell

(Screenshot: Kevin Adell being interviewed following Novi city council approval to build the Adell Center.)

Kevin Adell, President and CEO of The Word Network, one of America’s largest religious TV networks, is facing three court cases.

In October 2022, Bishop George Bloomer sued The Word Network and its CEO Kevin Adell for alleged race discrimination, race harassment, race retaliation and breach of contract. Jury trial is scheduled for October 6, 2026.

In 2023, the federal government sued Adell for allegedly defaulting on estate taxes following the death of Kevin Adell’s father Franklin Adell. A court complaint reports that Adell owed $9,775,326.65 in estate taxes and $8,178,714.47 in gift taxes.

To pay off the tax lien, the federal government is attempting to seize property in Bloomfield Hills, allegedly owned by Adell. The 8,433 square foot home is registered to Orchard Lake Property Trust. The jury trial has been postponed to February 2, 2027.

Also in 2023, Adell’s cousin Joan Adell Tringale filed a civil RICO case accusing Adell of racketeering by “using fraud, deceit, false pretenses and similar unlawful means to cheat others out of property to which they are entitled and to which Defendant is not entitled.”

In September 2025, Adell requested the Court dismiss the complaint, arguing the case is “barred by the statute of limitations.” The Court has still not rendered a decision.

Apologia Church / Jeff Durbin

In July 2024, Hailey and Cameron Merris had a marital dispute which escalated, resulting in police intervention. The couple, while not members of the Mesa, Arizona-based Apologia Church, contacted church elders for counseling help.

Details of the marital conflict were quickly shared by Pastor Jeff Durbin’s daughter Saylor Durbin Perez.

Hailey felt betrayed and responded by making a TikTok video alleging breach of confidentiality by church elders for sharing private information from a counseling session.

After church accountability and transparency advocate Sarah Young learned of the allegation, she published the article “Exclusive: Jeff Durbin Faces New Allegations of Slander, Gossip, & More” on her website Check My Church.

Following publication, Apologia Church its elders sued both Hailey and Cameron Merris as well as Sarah Young and her husband Joe Young in Maricopa County Superior Court for defamation.

The case has received notable coverage from Ministry Watch, Protestia and The Roys Report.

The defendants are waiting for the court to respond to their motion to have the case dismissed.

Brian Carn, Jr.

Brian Carn, Jr., Pastor of Kingdom City Church with campuses in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida and Houston, Texas, pled guilty to “corruptly endeavoring to obstruct or impede the due administration of the Internal Revenue Code.”

As part of a plea agreement, Carn is required to pay $595,989 in restitution to the IRS. While awaiting his sentencing, which will likely require serving a jail sentence between 18 and 24 months, Carn has continued to preach.

Michael Hall

Michael Hall, former bishop of Living Waters Pentecostal Church in Meeker, Oklahoma, and his wife are charged with embezzling over $170,000.

Pastor Jerry Beeson discovered the embezzlement and reported it to the Pentecostal Church of God only to face retaliation for reporting criminal activity.

Religion News Service reported, “Instead of looking into the matter, Beeson says, denominational leaders took over Living Waters in May, changed the locks, seized the bank accounts and kicked out its leaders. Beeson was fired.”

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 30, 2026, before Oklahoma District 23 Court Judge Sarah Bridge.

Kingdom of God Global Church/ David E. Taylor

The trial for David E. Taylor, Michelle Brannon and Kathleen Woods Klein, leaders of the Kingdom of God Global Church, operating in Missouri, Michigan, Texas and Florida, has been postponed to November 3, 2026.

Televangelist Taylor along with Brannon and Klein are accused of operating a forced labor scheme and money laundering.

When the FBI conducted raids on church properties in August 2025, it found approximately $500,000 worth of gold bars discovered in a bedroom closet safe. The Justice Department is attempting to seize church properties obtained with funds collected through the use of forced labor. The church operated call centers to collect donations without paying the call center personnel.

Prior articles about prosecution of David E. Taylor:

John Paul Miller

John Paul Miller, former lead pastor of Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has been charged with cyberstalking and making false statements to law enforcement, following the death of his wife Mica Miller.

Mica committed suicide on April 27, 2024. Following Mica’s death, news coverage and online activism from opponents of church abuse inspired a groundswell of support for an investigation.

Defense attorney Jack Swerling, who is not representing Miller, told the Myrtle Beach Post and Courier, “There’s a ton of crime that deals with computers, telephones, mail fraud and wire fraud, all kinds of things like that with communication by electronic devices, but rarely have I seen a cyberstalking charge.”

The court recently issued a continuance, postponing the trial from March 2026 to April 2026. However, the exact court date has not yet been announced.

Second Baptist Church

Recently documentary filmmaker Nathan Appfel and YouTuber Tommy G. visited Second Baptist Church and were ordered to leave. The filmmakers were told they would be charged with littering if they handed out copies of church bylaws.

During a church business meeting in 2023, Second Baptist Church adopted new bylaws which eliminated church member voting rights. Church members were not allowed to review the proposed bylaws before the vote.

Critics of the church’s new bylaws formed the Jeremiah Counsel as a legal entity to represent themselves and to sue the church in order to force the church to return to its prior church governance model of congregational oversight.

The church bylaws are available for viewing in the Trinity Foundation File Vault.

The jury trial between the Jeremiah Counsel and Second Baptist Church is scheduled for April 29, 2026.

Trinity Foundation will report from the trial.

Unification Church / Hak Ja Han

Hak Ja Han, better known in America as Mrs. Moon and widow of Sun Myung Moon who founded the South Korea-based Unification Church, was indicted in October 2025 for bribing former South Korea first lady Kim Keon Hee.  Mrs. Moon is at liberty recovering from surgery while awaiting trial.

In January, Kim Keon Hee, former first lady of South Korea, apologized in court for her actions and received a 20-month prison sentence.

According to the Associated Press, “Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim Keon Hee for receiving luxury gifts like a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag from the Unification Church in return for promises of political favors.”

Yesterday Hak Ja Han testified before investigators. The Associated Press reported, “The team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, investigating suspicions that the church tried to leverage Kim’s influence while pursuing various business interests, including a development project in Cambodia, has not specified whether it would seek Han’s arrest.”

Meanwhile, Japanese courts have ordered Unification Church properties be dissolved due to criminal actions.

United Press International reported, “The [Japanese] government charged that the group engaged in illicit fundraising practices, using extreme pressure to solicit repeated large donations. These had ruined families financially, the government said.”

Prior Articles About Hak Ja Han and the Unification Church:

 

Postscript: Part 3 in this article series, to be published in April, will explore the topic of financial transparency and church and ministry legal expenses.