Lester sooey6/11/2023 He was also elected to the board of all three LeSEA entities, the lawsuit said.Īfter his cousin's ascension, the lawsuit says, Lester L. Peter died in 2015, which is when his son Andrew Sumrall took over LeSEA Broadcasting. and LeSEA Global after the resignation of his brother, Stephen Sumrall. When he died, according to a succession timeline in the federal lawsuit, his son Peter assumed control of LeSEA Broadcasting. The roots of the dispute go back to Lester F. ![]() "I take it as my personal responsibility to speak for him and move his followers to action in light of these events." Trouble followed evangelist's death Sumrall wrote on the now-defunct website. "If my grandfather knew that his ministry was being pilfered by family members who boast their belief in atheism, communism, and egalitarianism, he would be beside himself," Lester L. Sumrall alleges his cousin has strayed from the faith of their grandfather, deceived donors and been involved in corporate malfeasance while overseeing LeSEA. ![]() Sumrall, the lawsuit contends, has "interfered with LeSEA’s relationships with lenders and clients, falsely accused LeSEA of financial fraud and criminal activity, sought injunctions and imposed improper liens against LeSEA, and even attempted to interfere in the divorce proceedings" of Andrew Sumrall. Sumrall - who is not affiliated with his grandfather’s organization - is pursuing a "false claim to be the ‘rightful spiritual and legal heir’ of LeSEA." He is accused of engaging in "a long pattern of abusive, harassing, and unlawful conduct against LeSEA and his own family members." District Court for the Northern District of Indiana alleges Frank Sumrall's son, Lester L. Sumrall’s sons, Frank Sumrall and the late Peter Sumrall.Ī lawsuit filed last year in U.S. The two men fighting over the assets are sons of Lester F. ![]() Sumrall alleges more than $1 billion has flowed into the organization since his grandfather died 23 years ago.Īt the heart of the ongoing legal disputes is control of those funds. They also help fund a relief arm the organization says “has delivered more than $200 million in food and supplies to hungry, hurting people in 92 nations around the world.” Those donations help support local church-based outreach, a bookstore and World Harvest Bible College in South Bend. The organizations he established under the the umbrella of the Lester Sumrall Evangelistic Association, better known as LeSEA, continue to operate a variety of ministries served by two radio and six television stations, including WHMB TV40 in Indianapolis.They also generate millions in annual donations. Sumrall developed has been adopted by the likes of Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell, Joel Osteen and countless others. Along the way, he mastered the use of television to generate millions of dollars in donations toward his goal: "to reach the untold billions yet untold." Sumrall built his South Bend-based network of religious organizations on a mission to share the gospel around the world. Its been going on for more than three years, mostly behind the scenes in cases filed in state and federal court. Sumrall, against another grandson, Andrew "Drew" Sumrall, in a sort of modern-day twist on the Old Testament story of Cain and Abel. The nasty legal dispute pits the pioneering televangelist’s oldest grandson and namesake, Lester L.
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