renowned local pastor was found in contempt of

court Tuesday morning after his latest refusal to

appear for a deposition in the Evander Holyfield

divorce case.

Superior

Court Judge Ben Miller made the ruling at

approximately 10:55 Tuesday morning, 25 minutes

after the Rev. Creflo Dollar had been ordered to

appear. Miller ordered Dollar's incarceration in

the Fayette County Jail until he answered all

relevant questions not covered under

pastor-parishioner privilege.

Lecora

Bowen, Dollar's attorney, immediately appealed

the decision, and Miller granted her request to

have the matter turned over to the Court of

Appeals.

John

Mayoue, Janice Holyfield's attorney, told

reporters after the hearing that having the issue

handled on the appellate level could delay the

start of the divorce trial, which Miller set last

week for April 3. "We're distressed,"

he said of the recent developments.

Mayoue

said that it is difficult to tell how long the

process could take, depending upon whether the

appeal is properly filed.

Janice

Holyfield did not comment on the case. Evander

Holyfield, the former world heavyweight champion,

was not present at the hearing.

Both

Holyfield and his estranged wife live in separate

houses on the walled and gated Holyfield compound

in north Fayette, off Ga. Highway 279, fronting a

stretch of highway named for the millionaire

boxer. Holyfield's mansion is the largest in the

county, and he is one of the top 25 property

taxpayers in Fayette, according to county tax

records.

The

deposition was requested by Mayoue, who has

alleged that Evander Holyfield gave several

million dollars to Dollar in the weeks leading up

to his filing for divorce.

Dollar

is pastor of World Changers International, a

College Park-based ministry that claims some

20,000 members. Dollar is a frequent speaker on

television and around the country. He appears

weekday mornings on Trinity Broadcast Network's

cable channel in Peachtree City and Tyrone.

Both

Holyfields have attended the church, and Bowen

said at an earlier hearing that the pastor has

counseled both of them and should not be required

to testify.

Mayoue

told the court that Dollar has failed to appear

at least three different times. Depositions are

customarily heard in attorneys' offices, but

Miller ordered this appearance in Superior Court

because of Dollar's frequent absences.

Miller

inquired as to legal fees incurred for Mayoue's

time and the various delays, but Mayoue had no

specific dollar figures to cite so Miller did not

rule pertaining to Dollar picking up any legal

fees.

Bowen

began the proceedings Tuesday morning by filing a

second request to have Miller disqualify himself

from the case, citing her belief that he has

demonstrated a prejudice against Dollar.

She

specifically mentioned a Dec. 1 hearing that she

said was held without her presence, at which

"ex parte communication" and

"damaging statements" were made by

Mayoue.

Bowen

also charged that at last Thursday's hearing, in

which Miller ordered Dollar to show up Tuesday or

face a contempt charge, that the judge made

statements that demonstrated his own bias toward

her client.

According

to Bowen's statement, reading from a transcript,

Miller said last Thursday that Dollar

"placed himself above the lawful processes

and lawful orders of this court" and added

that he "cannot allow Pastor Dollar or any

other citizen to be above the law."

Bowen

said that Mayoue has shown no credible evidence

in connection with the claims he has made

concerning financial misconduct, but more

importantly, Dollar cannot be compelled to give

up his religious and constitutional rights.

"I

wish I could show you the checks," she said.

"Then the court would see that it's been

misled. But we can't do that."

Bowen

claimed that an appeal she had already filed

should be heard at the appellate level before any

further progress is made in Miller's court, and

that Miller superceded the appellate process to

compel Dollar to attend.

"I

don't believe for a moment that you believe that

is the law of this state," Miller replied

when Bowen was finished.

Miller

ruled that Bowen's request to have him recused

was not filed in a timely manner, and if the

facts were true, they still did not constitute a

sufficient reason for him to withdraw.

Bowen

said that her motion was within the five-day time

period specified by law, since it cited Miller's

comment at the Dec. 16 hearing, although she

added that it was motivated by

"cumulative" conduct.

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