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"Crisis board members were concerned enough about the fallout from the NCR article to ask three other top Catholic scholars — papal biographer George Weigel; the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things magazine; and Princeton University professor Robert George — whether the magazine could survive with Mr. Hudson at the helm," Duin reports. "The consensus, according to some of the columnists, was 'no.'"

Most damning and somewhat questionable, however, is the Times assertion that Hudson's 1994 actions were not an isolated incident. Duin writes:

Specific accusations of more recent sexual misconduct had come to the board's attention, one scholar said. "This was not about one incident 10 years ago," he said. "It's surprising it was held down as long as it was. I haven't gone out of my way to track Deal Hudson's improprieties — I could be doing nothing else. But you began to wonder after a while if they are true."

Since that's as much as the Times article says—vague accusations lobbed by an anonymous "scholar"—there's quite a bit of debate going on about whether this detail is news or gossip. But over at Amy Welborn's Open Book weblog, Dallas Morning News columnist Rod Dreher defends the inclusion. "If anyone was aware prior to this that Deal Hudson had had, or may still be having, extramarital affairs, I don't know them," he wrote. "What I do know is that more than a few Catholic insiders had ample reason to suspect that Deal had trouble dealing with female employees. I saw that with my own eyes (it was nothing sexual), and heard it from others who work or who have worked for Crisis. There was reason for concern."

Paul Crouch's accuser says job was at stake
Speaking of allegations of sexual misconduct with subordinates, Enoch Lonnie Ford's claims against Trinity Broadcasting Network president Paul Crouch have new energy with an interview he granted to the Los Angeles Times. The big detail: "He had felt forced to engage in the alleged sexual acts to keep his job."

That's an important part of the allegation story, but what gives the story legs is its re-entry into the court system. William Lobdell writes:

Ministry attorneys went to Orange County Superior Court on Tuesday in an unsuccessful attempt to stop publication of this story, claiming that a Times reporter "aided and abetted" Ford in violating an April 2003 court order that barred him from discussing his allegations. Judge John M. Watson declined to issue a restraining order against The Times but suggested Ford could later face a contempt-of-court hearing. … Ministry lawyer John Casoria said it could cause "irreparable harm." … Casoria said TBN may ask the judge to hold Ford in contempt of court for speaking publicly about the case.

Ford, however, says it's TBN that broke the 1998 confidentiality agreement: "Network officials broke the agreement, he contends, by issuing a statement last week responding to a news account of the ministry's legal effort to silence him. TBN's statement described the circumstances of the settlement and highlighted Ford's criminal background."

Lobdell's original article about the alleged tryst supports Ford's claim that he didn't leak the story:

This account of the controversy is drawn from interviews with friends of Ford's, unsealed court records, correspondence among TBN lawyers, and a copy of the arbitrator's confidential ruling. The arbitrator's decision contains details about the 1998 settlement and Ford's manuscript — both of which are under seal. … Ford, 41, said he could not discuss his manuscript or his allegations against Crouch but he did provide basic facts about his background and his time at TBN. … Despite TBN's efforts to keep Ford's charges secret, they surfaced in an unrelated 1998 lawsuit.

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September (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48