Joyce Meyer

===2011 wrongful death lawsuit===
On May 5, 2009, Christopher Coleman, the chief of security of Joyce Meyer Ministries was arrested on suspicion of murder after police discovered the bodies of Coleman's wife, Sheri Coleman, and two sons at their residence, all three persons having died of apparent strangulation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=PISTOR |first1=Nicholas J. C. |last2=Thornsen |first2=LEAH |title=Coleman arrested in killing of family |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/coleman-arrested-in-killing-of-family/article_e6058be5-06fd-5487-9541-afc68c5d47c7.html |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=stltoday.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Pistor |first1=Nicholas J. C. |last2=Tuft |first2=Carolyn |title=May 5, 2009: Three murders mark the start of the Christopher Coleman case |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/may-three-murders-mark-the-start-of-the-christopher-coleman/article_404da836-4ca1-5e88-b6c9-22ed6e560f9a.html |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=stltoday.com |date=May 5, 2009 |language=en}}</ref> On May 10, 2011, after a lengthy trial, Christopher Coleman was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to three life sentences. According to the prosecuting attorney Kris Reitz, the murders were committed as part of a premeditated plan to leave his wife for another woman with whom he had been having an affair. According to Reitz, Coleman was concerned that if his extra-marital affair were made public it would result in him losing his job at Joyce Meyer Ministries, remembering, at this point, King David's same reasons for killing Bathsheba's husband and not dirtying his name as an adulterer, before the theocratic nation of Israel; It also recalls the Brazilian case of Flordelis where murder was alleged as an alternative way to avoid getting divorced, which would risk losing charisma and name among evangelicals. <ref>{{cite news |title=Coleman averts jury; judge issues life terms |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/coleman-averts-jury-judge-issues-life-terms/article_23cc418b-7206-524d-8574-87cb59abc298.html |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=stltoday.com |date=May 10, 2011 |language=en}}</ref> Meyer provided prerecorded testimony during Coleman's criminal trial.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/joyce-meyer-says-affair-could-have-cost-coleman-his-job/article_7c4a5e64-7263-11e0-a37f-001a4bcf6878.html|title=Joyce Meyer says affair could have cost Coleman his job|first=Nicholas J. C.|last=Pistor|website=STLtoday.com}}</ref>  The case was featured in an episode of [[Forensic Files II#Season 3 (2022)|Forensic Files II]] on March 6, 2022, titled "Words Matter".

The family of Sheri Coleman filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Joyce Meyer Ministries citing that the deaths of the three be the result of Meyer's negligence as a counselor. According to the suit, Christopher Coleman had  anonymously sent several threatening letters to his family as a way to remove suspicion from himself for the murder. The suit also alleged that as counselor for both Christopher and Sheri Coleman, Meyer should have had reasonable suspicion that the letters were sent by Coleman and warned Sheri.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joyce Meyer sued by insurance company |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/joyce-meyer-sued-by-insurance-company/article_f2c3917e-47fa-5518-b117-6f8675cd4d6a.html |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=stltoday.com |language=en}}</ref> The suit was dismissed by Circuit Judge Richard Aguirre in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-against-joyce-meyer-ministries-over-coleman-murders/article_f947afbd-1916-5b49-8149-5719ee438d75.html|title=Judge dismisses lawsuit against Joyce Meyer Ministries over Coleman murders|first=Marlon A|last=Walker|website=STLtoday.com}}</ref>