Man sues Charleston councilman over loan

CHARLESTON – A man is suing the Rev. James D. Ealy, a Charleston city councilman, claiming Ealy owes him $16,000 of a loan.

Rubin V. Matundan filed a lawsuit April 6 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Matundan says he needs to collect on the loan because he needs the money for a kidney transplant.

Matundan says he loaned $35,000 in 2005 to New Covenant Community Development, the non-profit arm of Ealy's New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church.

Matundan filed the loan agreement with the lawsuit. The agreement does not specify what the loan is for.

The agreement has a handwritten promissory note from Ealy signed July 26, 2006.

In the note, Ealy says Matundan will be given priority as the non-profit gets revenue, like grants.

But Matundan says Ealy hasn't been making the $500 monthly payments on the loan, so he's asking a judge to order Ealy to pay.

Ealy created the non-profit in 2001. The state terminated its corporate status in 2008 for failing to file annual reports with the Secretary of State's office.

Matundan is representing himself in the lawsuit. The case is before Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 09-C-614