By MONROE ROARK
Staff Writer

A Fayette Superior Court judge ruled Friday that heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield's pastor would be required to answer questions relating to the fighter's divorce proceedings.

Judge Ben Miller effectively quashed a protective order previously filed by attorneys for the Rev. Creflo Dollar of World Changers International in College Park, a ministry with some 20,000 members.

Miller gave attorneys for Dollar and Janice Holyfield 10 days to set a date for a deposition to be conducted within 60 days, or the judge would set a date himself.

Dollar was subpoenaed to appear in June for a deposition, but attorney Lecora Bowen filed a protective order citing clergy privilege. Bowen claimed the documents requested were “privileged and/or burdensome, and create an undue hardship,” according to court records.

Attorneys for Janice Holyfield have requested that Dollar turn over records from counseling sessions and Evander Holyfield's financial contributions since 1990, as well as documentation concerning the church's positions on divorce, adultery and fornication.

Janice Holyfield's attorneys contend that the fighter gave several million dollars to the church in the last couple of months leading up to March 26, when he filed for divorce. His wife filed a counterclaim, and the discovery process has led to the involvement of Dollar and the church.

The champ has fought five times since his marriage in 1996, and his earnings during that time are estimated at more than $90 million.

A motion also has been filed for inspection of the premises, meaning the Holyfield mansion on Old National Highway, but that has not yet been ruled upon.

Janice Holyfield now lives in a separate residence on the same property. The Rev. Dollar's ministry is well-known to viewers of Trinity Broadcasting Network, which replays his sermons weekday mornings.