(RNS) — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction to halt what Church of God in Christ officials call defamatory statements by a gospel musician about their predominantly Black Pentecostal denomination.

The order, issued on Monday (Feb. 2) by Judge Mark Norris of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, seeks to prevent musician Moses Tyson Jr. from “publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating any further defamatory statements” about the denomination, “including, but not limited to, any references to ‘thieves,’ ‘grand theft,’ ‘elder abuse,’ ‘fraud,’ or other similar accusations,” according to court records. 

In a complaint filed Nov. 10 in a county court, COGIC, its general board and its general counsel alleged that Tyson has led a “malicious, nationwide campaign of libel and slander” against the denomination and its leaders. In recent months, court exhibits show, Tyson — who is a member of the denomination and is a cousin of the late musician Sly Stone — made accusations against the church in emails, podcasts and social media.

The case was later moved to federal court, where the preliminary injunction was issued. Lawyers for COGIC expect the court will issue a permanent injunction against Tyson, but a trial date has not been set. COGIC also is seeking $500,000 in compensatory damages from Tyson.

Included in the court records is a July 15 email Tyson allegedly sent to more than 30 church leaders that read, “God bless you all and I yet believe the Church of God In Christ is a great people, BUT clearly our Leadership needs ‘MUCH HELP’. Rather than wasting energy in back-biting, I chose to come to “YOU ALL”, after consulting with GOD OF COURSE.” 

The court said there was also “ample evidence” of defamatory verbal statements made by Tyson on podcasts, including “The Juice Radio and Talk Show,” which describes itself as “a fresh take on news, the Bible and so much more.” The court cited two October episodes of that podcast. On the first, Tyson spoke of churches allegedly getting “ripped off over $600,000.” In the second episode, Tyson declared, “I’ve seen a few churches be illegally taken,” and alleged that the denomination has “illegally removed” pastors.

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Norris wrote in his order that there was no evidence presented to the court that Tyson’s statements about the plaintiffs were true. He noted Tyson’s behavior “meets the actual malice standard,” meaning the defendant made allegations despite knowing they were false or with “reckless disregard” for their veracity, according to the judge. “In fact, toward the end of one of Mr. Tyson’s emails, he admits that the allegations may be false, writing, ‘IF anything I said in this attached interview is not correct, PLEASE let me know, so I can correct it,'” the judge wrote. 

In a statement to Religion News Service, Tyson’s legal team said the musician stood by his actions.

“The court’s decision does not resolve the underlying facts or absolve COGIC from any wrongdoing,” said LLG National Law Group in the statement. “Mr. Tyson’s actions have always been driven by a genuine concern for transparency and accountability, and a good-faith belief that there was, and still is, unlawful conduct occurring behind the scenes at COGIC that its members and the public should know about.” A spokesperson for the firm also said Tyson is a pastor at Jerusalem Church of God in Christ in San Francisco.

COGIC Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard expressed gratitude for the injunction.

“I’m pleased with the outcome of the evidentiary hearing,” Sheard said in a Thursday (Feb. 5) statement. “This case has had a negative impact on our denomination and I’m grateful that the Judge saw the need to provide this injunction.”

The court order noted that at the Jan. 6 hearing, Sheard testified that he heard firsthand and from other bishops that national and local church donations have been reduced because Tyson’s statements harmed the denomination’s reputation.

Bishop Willie Green, who oversees COGIC churches in Florida and Alabama and who also testified at the hearing, wrote in an earlier affidavit that he had been copied on correspondence with Tyson. “Based on my personal knowledge, membership and income in my local churches and jurisdiction have declined as a result of the above statements made by Mr. Tyson,” Green stated.

Taurus Bailey and Walter Bailey, lawyers at a Memphis, Tennessee, firm representing COGIC in the federal case, declined to provide details on the extent of losses the denomination may have experienced related to Tyson’s statements, citing the ongoing litigation.

“We were able to establish that (Tyson’s statements) were so unfounded that it’s a high likelihood that we may succeed on the merits of the case, and that’s why the court issued a preliminary injunction,” Walter Bailey, a onetime lawyer for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., told RNS in an interview.

“Mr. Tyson has had a continuous pattern of defaming the church and blasting and broadcasting defamatory statements and lies and untruths to thousands of people,” added Taurus Bailey, the son of Walter Bailey. “And they weren’t just untruths — that’s not enough for an injunction request. They were outright easy-to-discover lies.”

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