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School, Lindsay Roberts deny all

Richard and Lindsay Roberts stand outside the CNN building in New York City after their appearance on “Larry King Live” earlier this month. KELLY KERR / Tulsa World

 
By APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer
Published: 10/14/2007  1:56 AM
Last Modified: 10/19/2007  2:06 PM



The latest on this story: Wait on outside probe, ORU alums urged

Vote in a poll: Controversy and rumors continue to swirl around Oral Roberts University and President Richard Roberts has taken an indefinite leave of absence. Do you think ORU will survive this controversy intact?


Oral Roberts University and its president's wife, Lindsay Roberts, issued written statements Saturday saying that claims and accusations added to a lawsuit Friday are untrue.

A report attached to the lawsuit Friday contains allegations that Roberts, 51, spent a great deal of time with an underage male.

"I live my life in a morally upright manner and throughout my marriage have never, ever engaged in any sexual behavior with any man outside of my marriage as the accusations imply," Roberts said in her statement.

"Allegations against me in a lawsuit yesterday are not true. They sicken me to my soul," she said.

The lawsuit, as amended Friday, also added ORU's board of regents as a defendant and contained a new legal claim that the board had neglected to oversee, authorize and supervise the conduct of the defendants ORU, President Richard

Roberts and university administrators Mark Lewandowski, Wendy Shirk and Jeff Ogle, as evidenced by those parties allegedly allowing a "convicted sexual deviant unrestricted access to the students of the university" as a "mentor" hired by Richard Roberts to work with students.

A written statement attributed to the university says, "The allegations that the university employed a sexual deviant are untrue."

The plaintiffs, three former ORU professors, support their claim of negligence by alleging in the suit that the board allowed ORU and Richard Roberts to fire ORU's comptroller and then shred and destroy "voluminous materials and documents . . . constituting spoilation of evidence."

The two-sentence statement from ORU also says, "The allegations that the university purposely or improperly destroyed documents are also untrue."

The allegations and claims are part of a lawsuit filed Oct. 2 in Tulsa County District Court by John Swails, Tim Brooker and Paulita Brooker, who claim that they were wrongfully fired or forced to resign from ORU. Brooker charges that Richard Roberts required him to involve his students in a Tulsa mayoral campaign in violation of federal laws for tax-exempt organizations.

The three also claim that they were fired or forced to resign after they turned over to the board of regents a report at least partially written by Lindsay Roberts' sister, Stephanie Cantees.

Richard Roberts said the 3-year-old report from Cantees listed untrue rumors that she was letting him know about. Richard Roberts claimed that the report referenced in the lawsuit contained additional false allegations that he had never seen before.

Swails said at a press conference Oct. 2 that he and his fellow plaintiffs, upon receiving Cantees' report, told one another, "We hope it's not true."

Lindsay Roberts said in her statement Saturday that "the part that grieves me the most" is the spreading of the allegations through the media "when the parties suing have continued to say they don't even know if these allegations are true."

"I believe it's grossly unfair to allow such speculation to be used against me and attached to a lawsuit in which I am not even named as a party," she said. "I firmly believe that my vindication will certainly come in the court of law in the future and I am issuing this statement because I am unwilling to idly sit by and be accused of actions that are not true."


April Marciszewski 581-8475
april.marciszewski@tulsaworld.com

By APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer

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Report Comment
Satan, (10/14/2007 7:18:41 AM)
Is James Inhofe an ORU grad?

I know he is a moron who refuses to believe scientific evidence in favor of voices in his head from an invisible man.

Sounds like a familiar syndrome...

Report Comment
3 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. vinegar

1 tbsp. vanilla

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, butter, sugar, flour, vinegar and vanilla. Blend well. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake for 45 minutes.

Report Comment
FYI, (10/14/2007 7:54:01 AM)
ONCE AGAIN, GOD DOESN'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO TALKS ABOUT THE ANNOINT!! BE VERY CAREFUL, SOMETHING BAD COULD HAPPEN TO EACH OF YOU.
Report Comment
Stevielee026, Owasso (10/14/2007 7:54:10 AM)
If this report is 3 years old....how come some of the elections they were accused of helping.....happened less than 3 years ago....hmmmmmmmm
Report Comment
Davey, (10/14/2007 7:54:25 AM)
Placed in the situation in which the Roberts presently find themselves, most people with a sense of common decency would step aside and put the leadership of the University into the hands of an interim president until all charges had been refuted. Not Richard and Lindsay however. Apparently, these people don't possess or even consider "common decency" or humility.

How about it Mr. Roberts? Why not do the right thing for once and put the university and its' students and employees first for once? It and they are suffering real damage while you and Lindsay spar, duck and fake your way more and more deeply into this horrible situation. Innocent people are being hurt, and I'm not talking about you. This is bigger than you now. Students, faculty and employees are suffering and worrying about their futures. Their work. Their ministries. In the name of decency and propriety, step down, at least for the time being.

It is the right thing to do, and would mean a lot to many others who through no fault of their own are wrapped up in all this. Davey

Report Comment
D. Graham, (10/14/2007 8:13:43 AM)

Why was a private investigator hired in the first place? Who took all the photos of LR and her alleged boy toy? Who provided all the documentation? I seriously doubt that LR's sister did this alone.

God bless you, Geraldo Rivera. I hope you can talk to some of the teenagers and others directly involved.

Report Comment
ROGER, Tahlequah (10/14/2007 8:23:37 AM)
Lindsay's response sounds like that of another self righteous megalomaniac. Didn't Bill Clinton say the same thing? Has anyone really thought about the reasoning they give for the late night text messages? The friends of the Roberts' children most likely are in the same economic strata as the Roberts. They have cars, and most teenagers have cell phones before they have cars. Does it make any sense to anyone that they have a stockpile of phones to loan out to people of upper-middle to upper class teenagers who have phones? Even kids in the projects have phones. If there was no impropriety in the texts, then release the transcripts. EVERYTHING transmitted via text or email is stored somewhere. If she is so adamant about not doing anything wrong then she should contact her service provider and publish the text transcripts.
Report Comment
who want to be fired, tulsa (10/14/2007 9:19:48 AM)
will the Roberts look at them self and pray do what best for the school are thay the best for school at this time
Report Comment
RECIPE FOR DISASTER!, (10/14/2007 9:36:48 AM)
1)Establish a university based on a phony healing ministry.

2)Mix in generous portion of fellow charlatans as regents.

3)Stir in one pampered, washed up lounge singer of a son and his nutty wife.

4)Bake at 7777 degrees until greed, lust, and deceit rise to the top.

5)Garnish with flaky sister in-law's secret file of family's sinful laundry list.

6)Serve with lawsuit and implausible denials.

7)Vomit as necessary

Report Comment
Dorothy Whitworth, Tulsa (10/14/2007 8:59:00 AM)
If the three professors are so "morally upright", why didn't they bring up these "allegations" and make them public

BEFORE they were fired? That is, at the time they knew these

"immoral" things were happening? Guess I don't understand!!

Report Comment
AM, Tulsa (10/14/2007 10:58:34 AM)
I am an insider [current employee and friend of the family]. ALL of the allegations are true. There are pics and witnesses to prove it. I got into trouble for posting so I have to use my initials now. In time all will be proven true.

Here are just a FEW of the names of folks in the know: Kelly Booth, Kelley Jones, Coleen Barker, Dee Simmons, Nancy Brainerd [though she's too far up the Roberts' hindparts to EVER see the light of day again], Tony Winter, Roger Twilley, Louis Waller, Cherokee Neafus, Teresa Rector, Jennifer Zwick, Melanie Fugatt, Paige [White] and Preston Bostwick, Dawn Hoskey, Sharita [Smith] Bent, Jacinda [Garner] Williams, Julie Fisher...just to name a few.

Report Comment
information, (10/14/2007 8:58:10 AM)
Ifpeople really wanted to find out the entire truth about alot of this information they need to contact louis who still works for ORU he was in charge of richards security for 7 or more years and also talk to PAIGE WHITE she was richard and Lindsey right hand person for 5 years she took care of the roberts girls went on trips with them was in charge of music ministries and the cheerleaders. Paige and her husband are youth pastors at her parens church in Cleveland TX. Richard fired paige husband Preston becuase he didnt like how much time paige spent with her husband instead of the roberts family
Report Comment
Former ORU Student, Tulsa (10/14/2007 11:00:54 AM)
mind control and psychic witchcraft have been operating in much of what is called christianity. the average church goer is totally clueless of what this is and how it funcitons and how it affects them. It would be well for the church to gain understanding of how mind control and psychic withcrraft operate so they dont fall prey to it. This would prevent a lot of things that have happened in the past and that will be exposed in the future. THis is a general comment and not intended agasint any one specific action, or sets of actions in the past or what is now the present including what is being discussed. The Bride of Christ is vulnerable, gullible and set up for being suckered, stolen from and used. Take heed...........
Report Comment
Q, (10/14/2007 11:01:39 AM)
#30, It wouldn't be practical for any ministry to give money back to people whenever a person claimed they were in need. It would require a massive department of verification and so forth. Some churches, though, do have this policy of helping those who regularly tithe or give if they find themselves in financial difficulty.

The problem is word of faith, prosperity, and charismatic teaching. How many "prophecies" have we all heard, those of us that have been in these churches and ministries, that are absolutely false. How many people have given money, to the point of neglecting their own bills, expecting some miracle because of what they were taught. People are paraded across the platforms of these churches with "testimonies" of some miracle when they have given some amount of money. What we don't hear are the multitudes of others that haven't received their "harvest" and are living paycheck to paycheck.

But then, I'm probably just "offended" and probably need to just go on some weekend retreat where people will scream at me in tongues and cast some demons out of me along with generational sins. I'm sure that will fix me. Then I'll be giving all my money away again and volunteering all my free time.

Report Comment
G, (10/14/2007 11:04:36 AM)
#30 Informed, I know what you mean. I donated a lot to the American Cancer Society, Humane Society, UNICEF, etc., & when I needed money, they wouldn't give me any, either.
Report Comment
I Love Pie, Sour Cream Pie That Is!, Tulsa (10/14/2007 11:05:34 AM)
Filling:

4 cups chopped green apples

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 unbaked pie shell

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

Pie Crust:

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening or 1/3 cup lard

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cold water

Pie Crust:

Combine flour and salt in bowl. Add shortening or butter and blend with fork or pastry cutter until mixture is fairly coarse. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, gently mixing dough after each addition until dough forms a ball. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10 to 11 inch circle. Line 9-inch pie pan. Flute edges. Chill until use.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Prick sides and bottom of pie shell with fork. Place pie weights or dried beans in bottom of shell to keep flat while baking. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is brown as desired.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the sour cream, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the flour, vanilla and salt; mix well. Stir in the apples and pour into the pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes.

Combine the butter, brown sugar and the remaining flour, sprinkle over the pie. Return the pie to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve or cover and refrigerate.

Report Comment
george, (10/14/2007 11:05:39 AM)
How about another story on Garth Brooks?
Report Comment
Alden, (10/14/2007 8:53:01 AM)
We at my Foundation are busy gathering information on various fallen souls for our Museum of Failed Evangelists, to open in June '08. Hope to interview Lindsay for head guide job, with live demonstrations on how to lay on hands, and get them laid on. More later.
Report Comment
Davey, (10/14/2007 8:38:54 AM)
Why can't they step aside while these "checks" are being done? Besides, witnesses have indicated that even now there are documents being destroyed and evidence being altered. If the Richards stay in power while the "checks" are done, what will there really be left to "check?" The Richards should step aside YESTERDAY until the "checks" are completed. Davey
Report Comment
Terri, Owasso (10/14/2007 8:30:18 AM)
Common sense tells us that these are ridiculous accusations. Furthermore, these professors will halfway be redeemed if they publicly come forth and apologize for this lawsuit. The Roberts and ORU need our prayers and as Christians, we should not idly sit by and 'see what happens', but pray that God will uphold the innocent in this case. If you are willing to have everything open (as the Roberts have said) and to be checked and rechecked and then correct anything that's wrong, that speaks pretty loudly of "innocence"!!!!!
Report Comment
Rachael, Tulsa (10/14/2007 11:18:28 AM)
First off the acusations could be true, but they might not be true. Or it could be somewhat true. The only people who really know the truth in all that is going on is God, and all the parties involved. If the Richards are wrong, the others had a right to say something. If the others have lied or changed the truth to be worse than it is than they are wrong. I am sure there will be a investigation and what not so we should not judge. We will have to wait and see what is brought out into the light whether it be any wrong doing from any of the parties involved. We must remember that we are all human. We all sin and come short of the glory of God. If it comes out that the acusations are true, we should than pray for the Roberts, not condem them. Yes we can be disapointed and hurt, but we need to let God do the rest.

I do not believe anyone is gonna be condemed by God because we are talking about this. We all can have God's anointing, and God shows no favoritism. The roberts are no better than anyone of us. We all are children of God and we all are sinners. I pray that all parties choose to do what is right and that the truth whatever it may be will come out for what it is. God bless all of the parties and God bless all of the readers.

Report Comment
Former ORU Student, Tulsa (10/14/2007 11:22:44 AM)
Racheal, the rug has lots of nasty things under it. the rug is being peeled back. It takes action to peel back a rug. It takes confrontation to peel back a rug that has nastry things under it. The rug has been there as a covering. We all need to see what is really there under the rug. No more hidden nastry messes under the rug. Remove the rug, so all the hiddeen things can be seen and something done about them
Report Comment
LEAK THE PHOTOS, (10/14/2007 11:27:13 AM)
Time for Swails and Brooker to leak some photos. That would just about end this.

Per draft report in lawsuit:

PHOTOS EXIST of Mrs. Roberts and an underage male smoking at the President's residence.(draft report references front and rear photos of Richard Roberts residence with Mrs. Roberts and the underage male smoking) -Mrs. Roberts has personally spent the night in the ORU guest house with an underage male on nine separate occasions(draft report references photos of these events as well as longs from security) -Draft report references 29 DISTINCT PHOTOS of Mrs. roberts and an underage male alone in her sports car. Time stamps on the photos indicate that they were photographed after the citywide 10pm curfew for minors not with their parents. In fact, all 29 photos were taken after midnight.

Report Comment
Carl Robbins, San Jose --- now in Tulsa (10/14/2007 6:31:04 AM)
Ralph, Ralph, Ralph,

quit worshipping men instead of God. Men will always let you down. I understand your disappointment and defensiveness.

When you put men on a pedestal and look to them instead of God as you have done, this is what happens.

You got spanked on this yesterday by ORU grads, so I'll let them do it again.

Report Comment
AM, Tulsa (10/14/2007 11:38:07 AM)
Clo...chill with the recipes. Trust me, the last thing you want is for this to trace back to you.
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