A pastor in Georgia is facing a court battle after a church member filed a lawsuit claiming that he caused her brain injuries.
Yvonne Byrd, a longtime choir member of the Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, says that in March 2015, Pastor William Sheals knocked her to the floor when he blessed her with his hands during a service. She then claims she hit her head on the steps and lost consciousness.
"When Defendant Sheals passed Ms. Byrd, instead of blessing her by touching her on the head as he did other congregants, he pushed her forehead with such force," the lawsuit claimed. "It caused her to fall backward and slam the back of her skull against the hard floor."
Byrd also stated in her lawsuit that she has yet to fully recover from mild traumatic brain injury and post-concussive syndrome after spending weeks at the Shepherd Center. Her lawyer claimed that she still has occasional headaches and dizziness, as well as signs of memory loss.
The lawsuit cited Sheals for negligence and Byrd is asking the church to pay for her medical expenses. Byrd also claimed a lack of support from the church, saying she had not received an apology from Sheals. The church's insurance company also rejected her request to cover her medical bills.
Assistant Pastor Alfred Davis, however, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the church has not yet received a copy of the lawsuit and therefore could not comment on the matter.
Sheals has been with Hopewell since the 1980s, when it still had only around 200 members. Today, the church has over 15,000 followers.
