HOUSTON -- A jury panel was picked Wednesday in a Continental Airlines flight attendant's lawsuit against Victoria Osteen, wife of nationally known pastor and author Joel Osteen, KPRC Local 2 reported.

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On The Beat With Mary Benton

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Sharon Brown alleges in a civil lawsuit that Victoria Osteen, co-pastor of Houston's popular Lakewood Church, assaulted her during a Dec. 19, 2005 flight from Houston to Vail, Colo., by throwing her against an airplane bathroom door. She also alleges Osteen elbowed her in the left breast.

Victoria and Joel Osteen were expected to testify during the trial.

Approximately 130 people were called for jury selection.

Some potential jurors admitted to being star-struck by the couple and that their respect for them might affect their judgment in the case.

Many of the people in the jury pool said they had been to Lakewood Church, read Joel Osteen's books and held the Osteens in high regard.

"He has gotten me through a lot of tough times. I would believe what he has to say. I have a lot of respect for him," one female juror said.

A male juror said, "I would have the tendency to believe they were telling the truth a little bit more."

The religious beliefs of some jurors came out during the selection process.

"As a Christian, I wouldn't feel it would be my place to judge them," another prospective female juror said.

Others said they believed Victoria Osteen must have done something wrong if she was being sued.

The Federal Aviation Administration fined Victoria Osteen $3,000 for interfering with a crew member during the flight.

"Did your client assault Ms. Brown?" KPRC Local 2 reporter Mary Benton asked Victoria Osteen's defense attorney, Rusty Hardin.

"No, she did not. It's silly. This is a very silly case," Hardin said.

In a pretrial frenzy of finger pointing, lawyers for both women say airplane passengers and Continental employees will testify it was the other woman who was out of control.

The FAA report states that Osteen asked another flight attendant to clean a liquid on her first-class seat armrest. When that attendant said she would get another flight attendant, Osteen grabbed a second flight attendant and took her to the seat, the report said. The second attendant said she would call cleaning personnel and headed to the cockpit, the FAA said. Osteen followed her and came across Brown, whom she pushed and elbowed in the left breast in an attempt to get to the cockpit, according to the report.

The flight attendants asked to have Osteen removed from the plane; she and her family left voluntarily. Osteen denies the charges of assault.

According to court documents, Brown claims that she suffers from anxiety because of the incident and said her faith was affected. She is also suing Osteen for medical expenses for counseling.

Brown's attorney, Reginald McKamie, declined to discuss the evidence he plans to present at trial, but said medical professionals will testify on Brown's behalf.

McKamie said Brown wants an apology and wants to punish Victoria Osteen with punitive damages amounting to 10 percent of her net worth, saying his client was "traumatized" by the whole event.

"We want to get our story to the jury. The key issue is just getting the story out so that they know what occurred on that day and that celebrity status doesn't take precedent," McKamie said. "She was thrown against the lavatory door. She was elbowed. She was injured."

McKamie said he has a witness who will testify about the incident.

"(The witness will say) that she attacked her," he said.

KPRC Local 2's legal analyst Brian Wice said the case is about likeability, credibility and believability.

"I would think, at some point, that before this case reached the inside of this building, the defense had probably offered a settlement to make this case go away. And the fact that this case is going to trial means that both sides think they have a shot. But, certainly, the plaintiff in this building is always the underdog," Wice said.

Victoria Osteen was not charged in criminal court. Both sides agreed the case is about money.

"The Osteens recognize when you become a person of public statue, there are certain prices to pay for that. And they're not complaining about that at all," Hardin said.

Opening statements will begin Thursday morning.

Joel Osteen preaches at Lakewood, a megachurch where about 42,000 people flock each week. Services are held at a 16,000-seat facility that was formerly the Houston Rockets' basketball arena. His weekly television address is broadcast nationally and internationally.

Brown's attorney confirmed that she made similar assault claims against a fellow airline employee. That case was handled by the company.