Priest Brings Defamation Action Against Podcasters Who Questioned His Credentials as an Exorcist

Suit was filed this week in a Michigan federal district court in an unusual battle between a Catholic priest and rival podcasters. The complaint (full text) in Martins v. Romero, (ED MI, filed 11/17/2025), alleges in part:

1. This is a defamation and false light action stemming from false and misleading statements published on the Jesus 911 podcast on the November 20th, November 27th, and December 4th, 2024 episodes.   

2. The Defendants intentionally or recklessly invited public critique and scrutiny over Plaintiff’s title as an exorcist by repeatedly asserting that the Plaintiff is not an exorcist. The Defendants’ statements have perpetuated a narrative that undermines the Plaintiff’s credibility....

43. The Exorcist Files is a podcast co-created and co-hosted by Ryan Bethea and Fr. Martins....

44. The Exorcist Files podcast aired its first episode on January 25, 2023, and currently streams on large podcast platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.  

45. Due to the popularity of the podcast, Fr. Martins published a book, also titled The Exorcist Files, where he provides a comprehensive view of the 2,000-year-old Catholic ministry of exorcism, examining spiritual dangers lurking in modern society, to help readers understand how to remain free from their influence and control. The Exorcist Files book was published on November 19, 2024, and its release was widely anticipated.   

46. Upon information and belief, the Defendants had identified Fr. Martins as a competitor in the popular niche of exorcism themed television, radio, podcast, and books. They timed the release of their podcasts to destroy Fr. Martin’s reputation and to diminish the sales of Fr. Martins’ book....

[Thanks to Eugene Volokh via Religionlaw for the lead] 

Cult Leader Sentenced To 99 Years In Starvation Death of Young Boy

Dallas Morning News reports that a Texas jury last Friday sentenced 52-year old Aracely Meza-- the religious leader of a church known as Iglesia Internacional Jesus es el Rey-- to 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine in the 2015 starvation death of a 2-year old boy.  Meza had ordered food to be withheld from the boy in order to exorcise the demon of manipulation that she believed possessed him.  The boy and his family lived on a commune run by Meza, who claims to be a prophet. When the boy died, his parents were afraid to report the death to police because they were undocumented aliens from Mexico.  With Meza, they took the boy for burial back to Mexico, where the parents remain.

Two Women Charged With Murder After Purported Exorcism

In Germantown, Maryland, two women have been charged with first degree murder and attempted murder in the fatal stabbing of two children (ages 1 and 2) and the serious wounding of two others (ages 5 and 8) while attempting to perform an exorcism Thursday night or Friday morning. According to yesterday's  Washington Post, one of the women charged is the children's mother (28 year old Zakieya Avery) and the other is a 21 year old woman (Monifa Sanford) who lived with the family. Police said that the women saw the enemy as the Devil and were trying to release something bad they believed was affecting the children.