SPORTS

Lawsuit: Ben Zobrist says wife Julianna had an affair with their pastor; sues him for millions

June 22nd, 2021

CHICAGO — Former Chicago Cubs star Ben Zobrist claims his wife was having an affair with their pastor, according to court documents.

According the Peoria Journal Star, the 40-year-old former World Series MVP made those accusations in a lawsuit filed in a Tennessee circuit court in May.

Zobrist also accused the pastor, identified as Bryon Yawn of defrauding his charity foundation. He is seeking $6 million in damages from Yawn, the CEO of a Nashville-area business-consulting firm, according to the newspaper.

Yawn is a former pastor at Community Bible Church in Nashville, where the Zobrists began attending church in 2005.

Zobrist and Julianna were married in 2005 and have three children.

Ben Zobrist paused his 2019 Cubs season for about four months as he and 36-year-old Julianna Zobrist, a contemporary-Christian singer, addressed their marital problems.

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The lawsuit states that Yawn used his relationship with Ben to “assume a leadership position with Plaintiff’s charity, Patriot Forward, to his own personal benefit.”

Yawn began charging hourly rates then proposed a yearly salary of $36,000, according to the lawsuit. It states that he allegedly used the position to get close to Julianna Zobrist as they worked on the charity’s social media presence.

The lawsuit stated Yawn and Zobrist’s sexual relationship began in 2019 and lasted for about a year. During which, the pair used “burner” cell phones to communicate. In the lawsuit, it stated that Yawn’s wife first discovered Yawn and Zobrist’s communication on one of the phones.

Ben Zobrist is suing for compensatory and punitive damages in response to missing part of the 2019 baseball season.

Curated By

Maya Gupta
Investigative Journalist | Grassroots Movement Organizer | Economy Consultant/Speaker
Maya Gupta writes from the fault lines of a world that refuses to stay quiet. Focused on the collisions between culture, power, and accountability, her work cuts past polished narratives to expose what’s really moving beneath the surface. From the rise of creator-driven influence to athlete activism and grassroots resistance, she tracks the momentum shaping a generation unwilling to wait its turn. Her reporting doesn’t cater to comfort, it confronts it, challenging institutions that lean on legacy instead of legitimacy. With a voice rooted in urgency and a lens tuned to those often ignored, Maya delivers coverage that reflects the stakes as they are, not as they’re packaged. This is journalism that doesn’t just observe change, it stands in the middle of it, documenting the push, the backlash, and the undeniable shift underway.

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