Joel Osteen's wife cleared of assault charges, thanks God

|PIC1|Jurors in a Houston court ruled on Thursday that the wife of US mega-church pastor Joel Osteen did not assault a flight attendant over a spill on her first-class seat.

They rejected claims from Continental Airlines flight attendant Sharon Brown that Victoria Osteen was so upset about the spill that she threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her in the chest before the start of a 2005 flight to Vail, Colorado. Ms Brown also alleged that the pastor's wife tried to force her way into the cockpit to resolve the argument.

Ms Brown was suing for Victoria Osteen for one tenth of her net worth as well as counselling expenses, claiming the incident left her suffering from anxiety and that her faith had suffered as a result.

Victoria Osteen consistently denied the allegations in court, saying that it was Ms Brown who became angry after she asked her to clean up the spill.

"I'm glad it's over," Victoria Osteen was quoted by The Associated Press as saying afterwards. "I expected it because it's the truth and I know the truth always stands firm."

She said: "If I had to go through this, I could at least be an example of trying to live out what's right, trying to stand strong and trying to just keep my faith intact. I stood strong because I believe in the truth."

A jubilant Victoria Osteen left the courtoom after the verdict had been read, saying "thank you God" and "praise God".

Joel Osteen commented, "It's a great vindication and shows us the faithfulness of God."

According to The Associated Press, former Continental flight attendant, Claudia Hall, testified by video deposition that she had also been falsely accused by Ms Brown in 1995 of pushing her and hitting her against a bathroom wall in a plane.

The Federal Aviation Administration fined the Osteens $3,000 which they say they paid to bring closure to what Joel Osteen described as an "unfortunate misunderstanding".

The Osteens are the leaders of US' largest mega-church, Lakewood. Crowds of more than 40,000 people head to its services each week, held at a giant converted basketball arena in Houston. Joel Osteen's books and televised broadcasts, meanwhile, have made him an international phenomenon.