The United States has approximately 6.8 million Mormons, the highest concentration of Mormons in the world [1]. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has 6,452 churches nationwide, particularly in Utah [2].
While religion can provide a sense of community and belonging, the Mormon Church has frequently battled systemic sexual abuse allegations, with church leaders failing to protect abuse victims and shielding sexual predators from facing the consequences.
When facing this powerful religious institution, victims need experienced sexual abuse lawyers on their side. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help you navigate the complex legal process, hold those responsible accountable, and pursue the compensation and justice you deserve for the trauma you’ve endured.
WE ARE ONLY ACCEPTING SEXUAL ABUSE CASES INVOLVING INSTITUTIONS.
IF YOU HAVE A MATTER INVOLVING A RELATIVE OR ACQUAINTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL BAR ASSOCIATION
Understanding Sexual Abuse in the Mormon Community
A database of Mormon sexual abuse lists more than 800 different cases by Mormon Church members, including missionaries, bishops, primary school teachers, and Mormon Church officials who failed to report sexual abuse [3].
These statistics are bolstered by the numerous sexual abuse victims who have come forward to seek justice against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
In one example, four female victims of sexual abuse came together to accuse a former Mormon bishop of molesting them as children. The man was also the mayor of a small town outside Salt Lake City, making him a powerful authority figure who used his influence to access children [4].
In 2023, a Riverside, California, woman received a $2.28 billion jury verdict against her stepfather, a Mormon Church leader, for childhood sexual abuse that occurred for nine years, starting when she was only five years old [5].
Before this verdict, she had also received a $1 million settlement from the Mormon Church, which knew the man was sexually abusing children but did nothing to stop it [6].
The systemic abuse in the Mormon Church is also connected to child abuse in the Boy Scouts of America. The two organizations were closely tied until 2020, when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints officially cut ties with the Boy Scouts [7].
A lawsuit alleged the Boy Scouts of America protected the Mormon Church from sexual abuse claims. The two organizations attempted to settle for $250 million, but a judge denied the Mormon Church’s contribution to the Boy Scouts sexual abuse settlement fund [8].
The Role of a Mormon Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Mormon Church sexual abuse attorneys are a critical resource for those seeking to take legal action against this powerful organization for its abusive behavior. At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, we have the skills and experience necessary to investigate a sexual abuse claim thoroughly, providing compassionate support for victims of sexual abuse and their family members.
Expertise and Understanding
Our Mormon Church lawyers are thoroughly familiar with all the facets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, including their doctrine, practices, and institutional policies. This has given us the insights necessary to handle sex abuse cases, as we understand the ways Mormon Church leaders and members cover up child abuse cases or justify them with doctrine.
Advocacy and Support
In Mormon Church sex abuse lawsuits, our team works with efficiency and compassion, protecting survivors while thoroughly investigating all particulars of the case. We’ll meticulously gather all evidence and identify all liable parties, including individuals, religious leaders, and organizations.
We aim to empower you by seeking justice for the church’s failure to protect you. We do this by filing lawsuits and obtaining compensation to help you heal. As such, we center our approach on the needs of survivors, including ensuring their civil rights and confidentiality are always protected.
Types of Sexual Abuse in the LDS Church
Mormon Church sexual abuse can happen to anyone, though child sexual abuse is one of the most common forms of abuse that results in a lawsuit. Both children and adults of all genders are vulnerable to inappropriate sexual behavior and abuse of trust.
Child Sexual Abuse
Children who have suffered abuse at the hands of a Mormon Church member may be groomed to believe these actions are acceptable, especially if the abuser is an authority figure. Many of these children were abused by clergy members, sometimes even on church property, but others were harmed during youth programs, especially the Boy Scouts of America.
Before the church cut ties with the organization in 2020, approximately 18.6% of all Boy Scouts were also Mormons [9]. Over 84,000 people joined a class action settlement against the Boy Scouts in 2021. The ultimate settlement of $850 million was the largest child sex abuse settlement in history [10].
Child sex abuse can result in lifelong harm, including untreatable sexually transmitted infections and PTSD [11].
Adult Sexual Misconduct
Adult victims may have suffered sexual abuse by a church leader who used their position of authority to demand sexual favors. Coercion, manipulation, and threats of damage to a victim’s reputation can all contribute to sexual assault or rape.
Those who are sexually abused at a missionary training center might feel isolated and helpless, mainly because the Mormon Church doesn’t allow families to visit [12]. These young adults may be leaving home for the first time and have little support, trusting entirely in their leaders to protect them from harm.
Institutional Cover-Up
The Mormon Church may be complicit in protecting abusers and silencing victims to spare the church’s reputation. Church officials have lobbied against changes to clergy-penitent privilege laws, which currently exempt clergy from reporting sexual abuse that was disclosed during confessions [13].
While they have not opposed a recent Utah law that offers protections to clergy that report alleged abuse to local law enforcement, Mormon leaders continue to protect clergy-penitent privilege throughout the United States, being involved in over 100 efforts to uphold this status [14].
The Mormon Church may refuse to report abuse to local authorities. They may also decline to remove abusive members from the congregation, leading to future abuse of more individuals.
Legal Claims Against the LDS Church
A sex abuse lawyer from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers will explore all possible ways to hold the Mormon Church accountable for the actions of its members or its failure to address abuse in its ranks.
Negligent Hiring and Supervision
Any religious denomination must understand the risk of coercion and violence in its ranks, taking the proper steps to ensure abusers are not allowed access to victims and are not given positions of authority. As such, the LDS Church is responsible for screening and monitoring its church leaders, promptly responding to potential concerns, and taking all allegations seriously.
Failures include allowing Church members who have been accused of child abuse to interact with minors, including in youth groups or at Church-sponsored events, or dismissing allegations of forcible sexual abuse against an adult to avoid repercussions for the abusers.
Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Breach of fiduciary duty means someone fails to act in another person’s best interest, typically for personal gain. This may mean financial abuse, but it can also mean refusing to intervene in a dangerous situation or to stop known sexual abuse from occurring.
The Mormon Church has an enormous amount of authority over its members due to the way the Mormon faith is interwoven into its communities. In sexual abuse cases, the church has a responsibility to remove potentially abusive people, especially if they are leaders, to prevent further harm to its community.
Fraudulent Concealment
The Mormon Church may deny that abuse occurred or hide information about the abuse from officials. They may also threaten victims to keep them from publicly disclosing their stories or manipulate them into keeping quiet.
In 2023, PBS News reported that the Mormon Church has an “official playbook” to handle abuse allegations, which includes providing hush money meant to buy a victim’s silence.
Not only do they vigorously protect any disclosures provided to clergy, but they also have a Helpline where bishops can report abuse. However, the Helpline keeps no records and does not report confessions [15].
Many states have clergy-penitent privilege laws that allow abusers to make confessions in perfect confidentiality, including Idaho and Utah. Only the perpetrator can release a bishop or other clergy member from their silence, and most refuse to do so [16].
These systemic practices demonstrate that the Mormon Church fails to act on serious allegations, putting other individuals at risk. Our team of attorneys will ensure the Church and its leaders take accountability for these failures.
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
In addition to hiding claims of sexual abuse and protecting perpetrators, the Mormon Church itself may intentionally make life difficult for victims.
This can include forcing them to be in close contact with the perpetrator, shaming them into silence, or pushing them out of the church, causing them to lose their only community. Officials may also manipulate victims with threats of spiritual consequences for exposing abusers, such as insisting that it’s their fault and they must repent.
Seeking Compensation for Mormon Church Sexual Abuse Survivors
A civil lawsuit compensates Mormon Church sexual abuse victims for the harm done to them by the church and the perpetrator. The compensation received is called damages, which may include economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are for financial expenses related to the assault, such as lost wages, while non-economic damages are for the emotional and social harm caused by the abuse.
Some damages that victims may receive in a civil case include:
- Medical expenses
- Therapy and counseling
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages
- Loss of future earning potential
- Emotional distress
- Loss of faith and community
In rare cases, courts may award punitive damages, which punish the abuser for actions beyond gross negligence. These are rare.
Your attorney will gather evidence proving who is liable and what damages you may be eligible for.
This evidence can include medical records, therapy notes, witness testimony, and communications from inside the LDS church, proving officials were aware of the abuse. Together, these will demonstrate how much you should receive based on the overall impact of the abuse.
The Legal Process for Mormon Sexual Abuse Cases
A Mormon Church sex abuse lawyer from our firm will be by your side throughout the legal process, ensuring your rights are protected and you receive the support you need to heal. Sex abuse lawsuits include the following elements.
Sexually Abused Victims Have Limited Time to File a Claim
The statute of limitations for sexual abuse depends on the state as well as the age of the victim when the abuse happened. The statute of limitations for adults may be as little as one year or as long as five years, depending on jurisdiction. Child sex abuse victims may have a longer time to file in some states.
It’s essential to contact an experienced sexual abuse attorney as soon as possible so we can ensure we don’t miss the deadline for filing a civil lawsuit.
Contact an Experienced Mormon Sexual Abuse Lawyer Today!
The Mormon Church has a responsibility to its members to protect them from abuse and swiftly intervene should a leader or congregation member harm anyone. If a member of the Mormon Church has sexually abused you, we’ll assist you in gaining justice.
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is a top-rated personal injury firm that has recovered millions in damages for our clients. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe us nothing unless we can win your case.
To schedule your free case evaluation, call us 24/7 at (888) 424-5757 or contact us online.
References: [1] World Population Review, [2] Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, [3] Floodlit, [4] Yahoo News, [5] Los Angeles Times, [6] Los Angeles Times, [7] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, [8] Reuters, [9] National Public Radio, [10] NBC News, [11] Medscape, [12] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, [13] AP News, [14] KUER, [15] PBS News, [16] PBS News,