Elizabeth Payne, New York Post photo |
More than 20 years after Rev. Jeremiah Wright allegedly stole the wife of a man whom he was counseling, he reportedly moved on to another married woman.
Dallas church worker Elizabeth Payne, 37, claims she had a sexual affair with Wright. When rumors of the relationship began to surface, Payne's husband left and she lost her job as a secretary to the Rev. Frederick Haynes III at Friendship-West Baptist Church, according to the New York Post.
"I was involved with Rev. Wright, and that's why I lost my job and why my husband divorced me," Payne said.
Members of the church "found out about the affair in the spring," Payne said.
Payne had organized several Texas appearances for Wright after Barack Obama denounced his 20-year pastor for his controversial sermons.
"Liz was by Rev. Wright's side day and night during those days," a church source told the Post.
Now Payne is filing a wrongful-dismissal claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to recover her position with the church.
According to the report, Payne's husband, Fred, said he discovered the sexual relationship in February when he found e-mails between the two.
"There must have been about 80 of them, back and forth," he said. "Wright said things like he was going to leave his wife for Elizabeth."
Ramah, his second wife, has been married to Wright more than 20 years. Reports indicate Wright unsuccessfully provided marriage counseling to Ramah and her husband at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago before he married her.
Fred Payne divorced his wife after seeing the messages proving infidelity.
"I was downright mad about this bull---," he told the Post. "People wouldn't be happy to know that my wife was sleeping with a black man."
He continued, "Rev. Haynes doesn't like the interracial thing, either. This was quite an issue for him."
Elizabeth Payne said Rev. Haynes and Friendship-West Baptist Church will not allow her to come back:
"I'm not a member of the congregation anymore; I'm not even allowed on the premises."