Highland Park activist Robert Davis is suing Detroit mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch Jr. for slander and defamation, claiming the megachurch leader maliciously lied about him during and after a recent debate.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Oakland County Circuit Court, argues Kinloch falsely alleged Davis was a “covert operative” for Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, who is the leading mayoral candidate.
Kinloch’s claims come after Metro Times wrote a series of stories about delinquent water bills and controversial property deals involving the reverend and his Triumph Church, which has more than 40,000 members and seven locations.
During a televised mayoral debate on Oct. 15, Kinloch claimed without presenting evidence that Davis was a paid operative for Sheffield’s campaign.
“When she [Sheffield] talks about my integrity and allegations, she’s talking about her covert operative that’s throwing rocks while they hide their hand,” Kinloch said. “All of these assaults have come by one person — Robert Davis.”
During a post-debate interview with reporters, Kinloch also alleged Davis approached his campaign with offers to “dig up dirt” on Sheffield for money.
Two newspaper reporters called Davis to ask for his comment on the allegations, and The Detroit News published a story that included Kinloch’s “false and defamatory statements,” the lawsuit states.
Davis emphatically denies those allegations and says Kinloch fabricated the claims in an attempt to “resuscitate his failing and bewildered mayoral campaign.” Davis added that the “false and defamatory statements” were made “with actual malice.”
“Kinloch has a strong animus, hatred and dislike for the Plaintiff because Plaintiff has exposed to the media and to the general public Defendant Kinloch’s past criminal convictions for beating and assaulting his ex-wife and Plaintiff has revealed and exposed fraudulent real-estate transactions between Defendants Kinloch and Triumph Church, which are currently under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”),” Davis wrote in the lawsuit.
A Detroit News and WDIV survey conducted Oct. 16-18 shows Sheffield leading the race with support from about 65% of likely voters, compared with 14% for Kinloch. Another 20% said they’re undecided, and roughly 1% backed another candidate.
The winner will replace three-term Mayor Mike Duggan, who has endorsed Sheffield and is running for governor in 2026 as an independent.
Davis, who is a political consultant, is seeking at least $250,000 in damages, saying he “has lost out on potential clients” as a result of Kinloch’s “false and defamatory statements.”
In addition, Davis is asking a judge to declare that Triumph’s purchase and sale of the former AMC Star Southfield theater site in Southfield “was NOT for a lawful church or religious purchase” and “was fraudulent in violation of Michigan and Internal Revenue Service laws.
Earlier this month, Davis alleged in a lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court that Kinloch violated state and federal laws after his church bought the property and then conveyed it to him last year for $1 through a private limited liability company that he controls.
Two years earlier, Kinloch said Triumph was trying to purchase the property to convert into a church, community space, and a resource center for people in need. Kinloch said construction would begin in 2023 and take about 18 to 24 months to finish.
For unknown reasons, that never happened. It’s also unclear why the church would convey the property to an LLC, which would be required to pay taxes.
Kinloch’s church and campaign have declined to answer questions about the property deal and did not respond to Davis’s lawsuit.
Davis has also raised questions about Kinloch’s $1.3 million home in Oakland Township.
Triumph Church bought the 5,177-square-foot house in Oakland Township in April 2013 for $841,600, financing the purchase with a $631,200 mortgage, which Kinloch signed on behalf of the church, according to the deed and mortgage records. That left roughly $210,000 to be covered in cash.
Nine months later, in January 2014, the church sold the property to Kinloch for the same price, and he also financed his purchase with a $631,200 mortgage, leaving $210,000 to be paid in advance, according to deeds and mortgage records. Triumph Church officials declined to say who paid the remaining $210,000 when Kinloch acquired the house.
State law requires nonprofit officers to act in the church’s best interests and scrutinize insider transactions. Federal tax law forbids “private inurement,” or unreasonable personal benefits to insiders.
Davis also revealed that two of Kinloch’s churches in Detroit owed nearly $30,000 in delinquent water bills.
