Mormon Church Sexual Abuse Lawsuits | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Recent reported cases of sexual abuse have brought attention to the Mormon Church’s alleged failure to properly support survivors and hold predators accountable. In 2018, for instance, a leaked document revealed 7 cases of sexual abuse by church members in which no appropriate action was taken. In June 2022, an Oregon man came forward and accused church officials of failing to protect him and others from a church leader who abused them in the 1980s. Additional cases show a pattern of cover-ups and failures to protect children from predators that are, in many cases, members and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
If the Mormon Church fails to prevent sexual abuse from happening and/or doesn’t offer proper support when these incidents are reported, it needs to be held accountable. If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by a member of the Mormon Church, you should Contact Us immediately. You can fill out an online contact form or call 415-766-3544 for a FREE Consultation. Remember: everything you share with your lawyer is confidential.
The attorneys at Peiffer Wolf are committed to providing first-class legal representation to clients who are survivors of sexual abuse and/or sexual assault. We are very compassionate, and we will guide you or your loved one through the entire process. It is our goal to achieve justice for those who have suffered at the hands of others.
Mormon Church Sexual Abuse Lawsuits | What you need to know
“A man who taught primary class in a congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a girl from his ward.” (CBS Austin)
“Hallows was bishop of the Wellington Ward in the Kaysville Utah Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was arrested last year and later charged with eight counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in 2nd District Court.” (Deseret News)
“[T]he families claimed that the Church failed to communicate allegations of abuse by Michael Jensen in a timely fashion to the community or to the police and subsequently put children in harm’s way.” (ABC News)
Multiple reports of sexual abuse committed by members and leaders of the Mormon Church have come to light in recent years, many of which also claim the organization allegedly attempted to either cover-up or dismiss the accusations made by survivors. A case that made the news in May 2022 highlights the Mormon Church’s negligence: a registered sex offender was permitted to become a leader of a congregation in Utah. The man then committed another sex crime – “According to court records, Davis met his teenage victim at a congregation in Kasson, Minnesota, in 2018 while Davis was serving in a ward leadership position known as Elders Quorum President.” (NBC24)
Another shocking report from VICE News revealed that the Mormon Church created a helpline for the reporting of sexual abuse. However, the purpose of the helpline is allegedly to cover up those abuses:
“Mormon leaders have long insisted that the helpline’s sole purpose is to advise bishops about compliance with local abuse reporting laws,” VICE News But court testimony, as well as other documents reviewed by VICE News, suggests that the system serves a very different purpose: to shield the Mormon Church from potential lawsuits that pose a financial threat to the Church.”
If the Mormon Church failed to protect you or a loved one from sexual abuse, or if the church tried to cover up the case once it was reported, you should Contact Us immediately. You can fill out an online contact form or call 415-766-3544 for a FREE Consultation. Remember: everything you share with your lawyer is confidential.
Mormon Church Sexual Abuse Lawsuits | Gender Bias
Two articles, one by The Salt Lake City Tribune and one by The Guardian, reveal how problematic and systemic gender bias in the Mormon church can impact women and female children who have suffered from sexual assault and abuse:
“Mormon women, especially at LDS-owned schools, continue to be bombarded with the notion that they are at least partially responsible for sexual assaults by what they wear or do, or how hard they fight back.
Getting rid of predators, especially in Mormon culture, [Michael Austin, a Mormon who works as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Newman University] says, means rejecting some longstanding presumptions, including the belief that women are responsible for men’s sexual behavior, that they lie about their experiences to escape accountability or that they would always be safe if they simply obeyed church or school standards.” (The Salt Lake City Tribune)
“Telling the truth about sexual abuse is hard for anyone, but it has particular challenges in the conservative, Mormon community of Utah […]”
At Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, several students spoke last year to the media about how they were afraid to report sexual assault because it meant putting themselves at risk of investigations into their own conduct.” (The Guardian)
Mormon Church Sexual Abuse Lawsuits | FREE Consultation
Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise is a nationally recognized law firm. Our team of attorneys is fully prepared to assist our clients, protect their privacy, and guide them through the process. If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by a member of the Mormon Church, you should Contact Us immediately. You can fill out an online contact form or call 415-766-3544 for a FREE Consultation.
Remember: everything you share with your lawyer is confidential.
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