HOUSTON — Houston jurors didn’t buy a Continental flight attendant’s story that Victoria Osteen assaulted her on a flight to Aspen.
They ruled in favor of Osteen Thursday after deliberating for about two hours.
Sharon Brown filed a civil lawsuit claiming the wife of megachurch pastor Joel Osteen physically and verbally abused her in an angry tirade over a stain on her first-class seat.
Victoria Osteen, the co-pastor of Houston’s popular Lakewood Church, denied any such incident took place, as did her husband and other first-class passengers on the 2005 flight that was about to take off from Houston to Vail, Colo.
Brown wanted an apology and punitive damages amounting to 10 percent of Victoria Osteen’s net worth as part of her lawsuit. Hardin has declined to discuss her finances. It was unclear what percentage of her net worth the $405,000 might be.
Another flight attendant, Maria Johnson, supported Brown’s claims. Both flight attendants testified they had to block the cockpit door to prevent Victoria Osteen from getting inside.
Both Victoria Osteen and Joel Osteen, who was on the same flight, testified last week that no attack took place.
Victoria Osteen told jurors she went up to Brown after no one helped her clean up the spill. She said it was Brown who became angry during their discussion. Victoria Osteen denied ever touching Brown or trying to get into the cockpit.
Three passengers in first-class and a pilot aboard testified Wednesday they never saw or heard anything that indicated Victoria Osteen assaulted Brown.
Under cross examination Brown admitted that doctors found no physical injuries on her and she delayed getting psychiatric treatment.
Claudia Hall, a former Continental flight attendant, testified by video deposition she was falsely accused by Brown of hitting and pushing her into the bathroom wall of a plane in November 1995.
The Osteens are co-pastors of Houston’s Lakewood Church, which draws about 42,000 people each week for services. Joel Osteen’s weekly television address is broadcast in the U.S. and internationally and his books are sold around the globe.
The Osteens paid a $3,000 fine the Federal Aviation Administration levied against Victoria Osteen for interfering with a crew member but testified they did that to put the incident behind them.
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