BeBe Winans has had his day in court, and he has been vindicated.
In a press release today, it was announced that “Judge Gloria Dumas of the General Sessions Court for Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County signed an order on Friday, December 4, 2009, dismissing all charges with prejudice. With this order, this domestic matter is over an cannot be reopened.”
Back in February, Winans’ wife accused him of shoving her during an argument. The misdemeanor charges of domestic assault have been hanging over his head pending a trial.
Winans’ was supposed to appear on the Oprah Winfrey show as a guest judge for her karaoke competition, but she removed him from the panel pending his trial.
The news spawned heated discussions about the way the media handles situations like this. While the accused is always innocent until proven guilty, in a similar situation Chris Brown suffered immediate professional repercussions – likely because there was little doubt that he actually had beaten up girlfriend Rihanna.
In the release, Winans is quoted as saying:
“This situation has made me a changed man,” says Winans. “But it has also helped me see that there needs to be legislation that protects the rights of fathers when it comes to the custody of their children. All men are not deadbeat Dads, all men are not abusing women. And it’s unfortunate that the legal system and society assume the worst before they here the truth. My children are my first priority and I want and need to become the voice for the men around the world who are doing the RIGHT THING!”
Got a gospel or Christian music news tip? Send me an email!
Click here to subscribe to Gospel Soundcheck by email and have the Gospel Soundcheck headlines delivered daily to your email inbox. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter!