Linda Shelton Addresses the Court

The Justice system, to be true to its name, must be about “Justice.”

My ex-husband and his attorneys are demanding that I sign a Silence Agreement, euphemistically called a “Protective Order.” But who – and what – is it “Protecting”?

Dan Shelton has never before, in this case, been required to answer questions under oath in a deposition, or under oath in court. Dan Shelton has never before, in this case, been required to produce even a single document to support his false accusations that have libeled and slandered me around the world.

Now Dan Shelton is afraid. Now he is afraid that his own misdeeds will be exposed.

He was crafty enough four years go, to maneuver me, in my emotionally debilitated state, to sign a one-page unilateral Silence Agreement, so I could get enough money to continue eating and having a roof over my head.

But now I have emotionally recovered from his and 3ABN’s wholesale assault against me, and I am ready to fight for my good name. Dan Shelton knows that I would never willingly sign such an outrageous Silence Agreement again. That is why he is asking the court to FORCE it on me. Now I have been presented with not a ONE page document as before, but a TEN-page document that would restrain me from talking about virtually everything that has happened in my life, including almost, the speaking of my own name!

When my present attorney started the first “discovery” in this case, including the arranging for necessary depositions under oath by Dan Shelton and others at 3 ABN, and when subpoenas were submitted to obtain necessary documents, before my attorney was allowed to proceed, Dan’s attorneys raced into court, at lightening speed, to try to obtain a Silence Agreement – a Protective Order - that would hide from public view ALL of the evidence that will be uncovered, including evidence of Dan Shelton’s immoral behavior, and his probable illegal behavior.

Dan Shelton is afraid.

In some legal situations, there may be a legitimate place for a Protective Order, such as in the case of a woman victim who has been brutally raped and must testify in court, but does not want the personal, intimate, details of her horrible nightmare released to the public.

But, now Protective Orders are being used by the rich and famous to cover up their immoral and illegal behavior, to protect them from legitimate libel and slander suits, to cover up their wrong-doing, to seal the lips of those who can expose their wrong-doing, and for something even as trivial as shielding them from “embarrassment” from the public KNOWING of their wrong-doing.

That is a total ABUSE of a “Protective Order” and should never be allowed.

This proposed “Protective order” will supposedly cover only the financial affairs of the nineteen-year marriage of my ex-husband and myself. Why should that bother me? Because I have good reason to believe that during the discovery process, I am highly likely to find evidence of the following:

These are just a few of the reasons that Dan Shelton wants a Protective Order to hide his wrong-doing.

That is why it is imperative that a Protective Order NOT be enforced to cover ANY of the Discovery process or ANY of the documents or information that will be obtained through the Discovery process. The Financial Records WILL tell the story of what really happened.

You may say, “What difference does that make? We are here for a financial settlement only. Blame is not the issue.” But again, the Financial Records WILL tell the story of what really happened.

There are few people who have "walked in my shoes." In a 3-month period of time I was wrongfully fired from by job, I lost my best friend (who from all appearances was having a relationship with my husband – his car was seen on more than one occasion parked in front of her apartment in the middle of the night), I lost my family (the Shelton family), I lost my co-workers because I was wrongfully fired, I was purposely publicly humiliated to the maximum – on television around the world - by being wrongly accused and wrongfully fired, my husband divorced me by a Quickie Guam divorce he obtained over the internet, no less, my career was destroyed, I lost my home, my good name and reputation were destroyed world-wide by my ex-husband, my supposed “best friend,” and the Chairman of the Board of 3 ABN, who regularly and globally libeled and slandered me. I nearly lost my sanity and I came close to having a complete nervous breakdown.

It was in that terribly vulnerable, emotionally destroyed, state that I signed the initial Unilateral Silence Agreement in June of 2004.

Until my dying day I will assert that I was – and am - NOT guilty of the false accusations made against me by my husband, my best friend, and the 3ABN Board of Directors and its Chairman, where I was employed – accusations first of “spiritual adultery” – whatever that is – and then accusations of physical adultery, false accusations that were the basis for the loss of my job, my home, my marriage, and my good name and reputation, false accusations that continue to grow bigger and bigger as time passes, year after year, just like Pinocchio’s nose.

Because of the almost unbelievably flimsy “evidence” (supposed “evidence” that has NEVER been produced for scrutiny by me, my attorneys, OR the public) on which these false accusations were based, I have strong reason to believe, from the evidence I have, and the numerous eye witnesses who have come to me voluntarily, that my ex-husband was being threatened by one of his paramours, with exposure of his immoral behavior, if he did not get rid of his wife.

I have good reason to believe that, for the last several years of our marriage, Dan Shelton had been “lying in wait” just looking for something – anything – to make a case against me to destroy my reputation, throw me out of 3ABN, divorce me – and marry his girlfriend. He finally came up with the ridiculous accusation of “Spiritual adultery” – a term that he apparently made up, a term that has no real definition and no legal basis.

Why else would he have grasped on to such a thin-air accusation as “spiritual adultery” and why else would he have thrown me out within a 3 month period of time, obtained a Quickie Guam divorce – and demanded that my name be expunged from every nook and cranny of 3ABN, down to the elimination even of my name from the credits of EVERY program for the last almost TWO decades, on which I was the producer. My name was so thoroughly erased from the entire network, it is as if I had never even existed.

Those are the frantic actions of a desperate man.

Dan and his attorneys are seriously worried about the “BOMB-SHELLS” (their words) that will come to light during this discovery process.

I am against ANY and EVERY type of so-called “Protective Order.” The only one who wants “Protection” from his past misdeeds is Dan Shelton.

I have nothing to hide. I want my good name restored, and I believe that the discovery process in these proceedings will turn up evidence that will do that.

When I was wrongfully terminated from 3ABN in 2004, I was forced to sign a Silence Agreement in order to get even a dime to live on, after devoting almost 20 years of my life to building this world-wide television network with my husband at the time. But the Silence Agreement I was forced to sign was unilateral. I was the only one who was not allowed to defend myself, while my ex-husband, my former best friend, and the Board of 3 ABN and its Chairman libeled and slandered me daily – on world-wide television.

My good name and reputation were repeatedly dragged through the mud and mire until the whole world-wide viewing audience of our television network believed the vicious lies that were constantly being told about me.

All my friends turned against me because they wanted to keep their jobs at 3ABN by remaining in the “good graces” of Dan Shelton, the President of 3 ABN. Virtually everyone at 3 ABN who supported me- and not Dan - was summarily fired.

After I was thrown out of my job, my marriage and my home, I moved to Springfield, Ill. knowing only my daughter. For at least 18 months after this occurred I vomited nearly every day. The nerve endings in my face ached. I had repeated nightmares. My health suffered to the point where I actually thought I might die. The word painful does not BEGIN to describe what I have suffered.

Now I am not even able to make a living for myself because every time I am invited to sing or speak somewhere, my ex-husband and members of the Board of 3 ABN call those who invite me and threaten them if they do not dis-invite me. Then they repeat their vicious false accusations against me, calling me a scarlet woman, saying that they have PROOF of my indiscretions, yet they NEVER are able to produce their so-called “proof” even though I have repeatedly asked for them to make it public.

Without a means of making a living, I could not buy a home. No one will loan money to a single woman who has no job and no source of income. Fortunately, the man also accused in this case, who, by the way, was not allowed to speak to the Board of 3 ABN to prove his innocence, was concerned enough about me and my plight to loan me money to buy a home. I signed legal papers for this loan which I intend to pay back as soon the harassment by my ex-husband, my former “best friend”, and 3 ABN stops, so I can begin to make a living.

Yet, even though I have legally signed those loan papers, and even though the house is solely in my name, my ex-husband still continues to circulate libelous and slanderous statements about me, claiming that I have “bought a house with this man” and implying that because this man has graciously and benevolently loaned me money, that “proves” that I had an inappropriate relationship with him when I was married to my husband.

That is a Lie. That is Libel!

Because of the harassment by my ex-husband and my former employer, 3 ABN, against anyone who invites me to speak or sing, I have no income. I have even had to rely on the good graces of this man to loan me enough money to pay my attorney in order for both of us to appear here in court today. Other than my two grown children, this man is practically the only friend I have left who cares about what happens to me.

I was NEVER unfaithful to my husband throughout our entire 19-year marriage. Nor have I ever before been accused of the slightest hint of scandalous behavior – in ANY way – in my entire life. And all of this I will swear to under oath.

It is my ex-husband, Dan Shelton, I have now found out, who was the philanderer throughout our marriage, even to the point of climbing into bed at night with my 22 year old daughter – HIS step-daughter - after he, on more than one occasion, unlocked her bedroom door in our house, which she locked to keep him out – because he was trying to grope her – inappropriately fondling her body. She rapidly decided to move out to escape his inappropriate advances. This information she kept from me at the time because she did not want Dan’s and my marriage to disintegrate.

Dan Shelton and his attorneys are seeking to hide my ex-husband’s immoral behavior and his – most probably – illegal behavior, and to put “tape over my mouth” for the rest of my life, so I can NEVER defend my character and my name. They are trying to force me to be an enabler of his cover-up of his known immoral behavior and alleged illegal behavior, something I cannot and will not do. My allegiance to the laws of this country and my allegiance to my God forbid me to be involved in covering up immoral and illegal behavior.

If I agreed to this outrageous Silence Agreement - called a “Protective Order” - I would be complicit in the cover-up of Dan Shelton’s behavior. And if the Court forces this Silence Order on me, the Court too will be complicit in the cover-up of Dan Shelton’s known immoral behavior and his probable illegal behavior.

What is at stake here is not only my desire to discover the hidden assets of my ex-husband and receive my proper half of our joint property, but just as important - or even more important – is my ability to clear my name of the vicious libel and slander that has been continuously spread world-wide about me over the last four years.

I have very good reason to believe that this discovery process will yield that necessary information. My ex-husband and his attorneys also must believe that this discovery process will yield the information that will prove these heinous accusations against me are not only false, but that it is my ex-husband who has been the guilty one, the one who has had affairs, the one who may well have laundered money, the one who I believe has hidden assets, the one who well may have diverted our marital funds to his other women, the one who very likely has diverted funds of the ministry of 3ABN to his own use and the use of his family.

That is why my ex-husband and his attorneys desperately want to make sure that none of this information sees the light of day!

I do not claim to be an expert on the law, but I do know that in the division of law known as Equity, when one requests that the Court restrain another person’s actions, such as Dan Shelton’s attempt to enforce a Silence Agreement – a so-called “Protective Order” - on me, the person making that request – which in this case is my ex-husband, Dan Shelton - must come into the Court with “clean hands.”

But my ex-husband comes into this Court with dirty hands. It is not an over-statement to say that Dan Shelton comes into this Court with filthy hands.

The ministry of 3 ABN survives because of donations generously given by common, down-to-earth, good folks who give of their hard-earned money to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. They have a right to know how their money is being spent. They have a right to know if the person leading that organization is an upstanding man of moral integrity – or if he is a blatant hypocrite.

And I have a right to defend my good name, to be able to prove that these false accusations that have destroyed my life and my ability to make a living are, indeed, FALSE! I have NOTHING to hide!

But Dan Shelton wants to keep that information suppressed and secret. He wants to keep his misdeeds secret because he knows that if they come to light, he will be exposed for what he is.

Yes, he has a LOT to hide. THAT is why he wants a Silence Agreement.

As I said, my ex-husband does NOT come to this court with “clean hands” and should NEVER be allowed to have a “Protective Order” enforced to cover his immoral and probable illegal behavior.

I do NOT want a “Protective Order” for either party in this case, because I have NOTHING to hide. In fact, I am making this statement to the court as true and correct and I am signing it willingly under penalty of perjury.

In good conscience, I will NOT participate in a cover-up of his behavior. I am asking the Court to refuse to allow this protective order on either party in this case, or the Court will also be complicit in covering up what I believe will be shown to be Dan Shelton’s immoral and even possibly illegal behavior.

As I said at the beginning, this Court is part of America’s Justice system. I am only asking for “Justice.”

I have already suffered significant injustices from the “Justice” system in that the first attorney that I hired was virtually unavailable for even an occasional phone conversation, so I was left bare – with no legal assistance at all. In addition, that same attorney was negligent in the submission of documents in this case, which resulted in my having to pay a fine for my attorney’s mistakes.

I then obtained another lawyer, who was referred to me by a Christian acquaintance, only to find that the second lawyer was so incompetent that you, your honor, advised me, right in front of this incompetent lawyer, to find another lawyer – which I have done.

I believe I have suffered enough “INjustices” at the hands of the “Justice” system. How is a regular citizen with no experience in these kinds of things, supposed to find her way successfully through the maze that engulfs me– particularly without any money – particularly without the very DEEP POCKETS that Dan Shelton has available to him through 3ABN.

Again, I am only asking for true Justice. I am against ANY Protective Order being allowed against either party in this case.

Linda Shelton Addresses the Court Regarding the proposed “Protective Order”