Earl Paulk dies in hospital

Metro Atlanta

Former leader Earl Paulk of a suburban Atlanta megachurch was at the center of a sex scandal: He slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her.

Earl Paulk, founding pastor of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is shown in a 1992 photo. Paulk died March 29.

A series of allegations of sexual misconduct plagued Paulk's work and he lost influence and his ministry. The church is now called the Cathedral at Chapel Hill.

DNA tests showed Earl Paulk was the biological father of D.E. Paulk, 34, who for years was known publicly as Earl Paulk's nephew."My uncle is 100 percent guilty, but his accusers are guilty as well," D.E. Paulk said.

Husband and wife Mona and Bobby Brewer sued Bishop Earl Paulk and his church, then known as Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Decatur, asserting sexual misconduct. Mona Brewer says Paulk manipulated her into an affair from 1989 to 2003 by telling her it was her only path to salvation. The suit was dropped, and a judge in 2008 ordered the couple and their attorney to pay more than $1 million in legal fees. That decision was later struck down.

In 2004, Earl Paulk was struck in the face by Bobby Brewer, who says it was because Paulk seduced his wife. Paulk said it was about money.

Cindy Hall, shown in her Decatur home in 2006, says Bishop Earl Paulk sexually abused her during a period of over a dozen years, beginning in 1983. She was a witness in Brewer's lawsuit.

Earl Paulk (left), founder of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church, was one of Atlanta's preeminent preachers in the 1980s and 1990s. He had a church of 10,000 and an international ministry and TV program. Standing next to him is his brother, Don Paulk.

Copy of a book cover "Sex is God's Idea" by Bishop Earl Paulk.

Bishop Earl Paulk embraces 5-year-old Jessica Battle in 1983. Years later, she sued him, saying he began sexually molesting her when she was 7. He denied it, and the case was settled out of court.

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Earl Paulk, founding pastor of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is shown in a 1992 photo. Paulk died March 29.

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