Bishop Eddie Long Reaches Settlement In Sex Abuse Case

ATLANTA -- Bishop Eddie Long reached a settlement with four men who accused him of sexual abuse, an attoey for the men told GA Daily News on Thursday.

Four former New Birth Missionary Baptist Church members filed lawsuits against Long, his church and youth academy, after they said he used his power and influence to entice them into sexual relationships. Long has denied the claims.

Attoey BJ Bestein told Channel 2’s Jodie Fleischer that neither she, nor the men who made the complaints would speak about the settlement. She released a statement saying only, "The matter has been resolved."

The settlement came after court-ordered mediation sessions. It was Easter week when the judge in the case said the parties engaged in a marathon mediation session and came out of it close to a settlement.

Judge Johnny Panos said back then: "They’ve resolved a lot of major issues and there's a few fine details that need to be worked out."

Stay with GA Daily News and WSBTV.com for more on this developing story.