(888) 407-0224Abused in Mormonism
While we never suggest that a survivor should abandon their faith, we do believe that, for some survivors, securing justice for themselves and accountability for their abusers and those who may have enabled it is an important part of the healing process.
Thankfully, state legislatures from across the country finally recognize the difficult and lasting effects sexual abuse has on children. In response, many states have extended the time victims can bring a lawsuit and get justice for the harm they suffered as children.
Crew Janci attorneys have successfully represented many victims of abuse from across the country in lawsuits against the Mormon Church.
If you would like to talk to someone about your options, please call our toll-free at 1-888-407-0224 or submit the confidential form.
The attorneys at Crew Janci LLP have developed in-depth knowledge about this unique culture and operations of the Mormon Church.
We are honored to have represented dozens of survivors who have sought justice and healing from the Church – both form former or “ex-mormons” and for current members in good standing.
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Crew Janci Attorneys Have Won Numerous Cases
Against The Mormon Church, Dated Back to 1970's.
D.H. v. Corp. of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (case still pending)
Duration:
1980 – 1985
Perpetrator:
Ronald Kerlee
Case Result:
Still Pending
How Crew Janci helped the Victims?
Crew Janci LLP represented a member of the Mormon Church who was sexually abused on multiple occasions by Kerlee in the early 1980s when the victim was 15 years old.
Case Details
The lawsuit alleges that the Church received numerous reports that Kerlee was sexually abusing children, including learning that Kerlee was convicted of Sodomy III (Class C Felony) for sexual abuse of a child. Instead of protecting church children from a sexual predator, the LDS Church submitted a letter to the Court in support of the early termination of Kerlee’s probation. Even though the Church knew of the danger Kerlee presented to children, the Church allowed Kerlee to continue to serve in positions of leadership over youth in the Corvallis Stake until the late 1980s, where he continued to sexually abuse the plaintiff and other children.
Relief Sought
- Release of the Mormon Church’s “Red Flag” notations The lawsuit seeks release of the Mormon Church’s “Red Flag” notations related to child sexual abuse by Mormon youth workers.
- $5 million in damages $5 million in damages for the plaintiff’s emotional pain and suffering.
- $500,000 $500,000 for future medical and mental health treatment.
- Case is still pending This case is still pending in an Oregon court.
News Coverage
At Crew Janci, we offer Free Confidential Consultation.
If you would like to talk to someone about your options, please call our toll-free at 1-888-407-0224 or submit the confidential form.
Jack Does 1 – 6 v. Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, et al.
Year of verdict:
2010
How Crew Janci helped the Victims?
In 2010, attorneys from Crew Janci LLP were part of a trial team where an Oregon jury returned a $19.9 million verdict for the victim of sexual abuse by an LDS scout leader, including $18.5 million in punitive damages against the Boy Scouts of America.
Settlements
- $19.9 million verdict $19.9 million verdict for the victim of sexual abuse by an LDS scout leader
- $18.5 million in punitive damages $18.5 million in punitive damages against the Boy Scouts of America
At Crew Janci, we offer Free Confidential Consultation.
If you would like to talk to someone about your options, please call our toll-free at 1-888-407-0224 or submit the confidential form.
H.M. v. The Boy Scouts of America; and Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America.
Duration:
1981 – 1988
Abuser:
James F. Hogan
How Crew Janci helped the Victims?
Attorneys from Crew Janci represented a Portland man who was sexually abused as a child on hundreds of occasions from 1981 to 1988 by his Boy Scout leader James F. Hogan.
Settlements
The plaintiff’s Boy Scout troop was sponsored by the Portland Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Boy Scouts documented Hogan’s repeated questionable contact with Scouts, but the files contained no record that the Boy Scouts or the LDS Church reported him to police. The Boy Scouts did ban Hogan from Scouting — but only for a time. In 1981, church leaders asked that Hogan be reinstated because they concluded the earlier accusations against him weren’t true. The Boy Scouts relented and restored Hogan as a volunteer. Nine years later, they put him back on their list of banned volunteers after he abused two boys he met at the church and pleaded guilty to sodomy. Ultimately, the LDS Church and the plaintiff reached a settlement.
D.I. v. Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Kenneth Johnson.
Abuser:
Mormon home teacher of victim
How Crew Janci helped the Victims?
Attorneys from Crew Janci LLP were also part of the plaintiff’s litigation team in D.I. v. Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Kenneth Johnson.
Case Details
In that case, the plaintiff was sexually abused by his Mormon home teacher and the trial court entered an order allowing discovery of the Church’s financial condition in relation to the plaintiff’s claim for punitive damages.
Settlement and Verdict
The Church appealed that decision to the Oregon Supreme Court and lost. Thereafter, the case was resolved successfully to both parties’ mutual satisfaction.
N.K. v. Corp. of Presiding Bishop of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Duration:
1977
Abuser:
Larren Arnold
How Crew Janci helped the Victims?
Attorneys from Crew Janci LLP were part of the plaintiff’s litigation team who was sexually abused around thirteen times in 1977 by an adult member in his ward.
Case Details
In this landmark case, the Washington Court of Appeals decided in favor of the plaintiff’s request that the LDS Church disclose information regarding the church’s records, investigation, and knowledge of any allegations of child sexual abuse in the congregation, including documentation that showed the Church’s knowledge from before the instances of sexual abuse occurred.
Settlement and Verdict
The Washington Appeals Court stated: “If, for example, a scout victim came forward in 2005 and claimed that his parents told a church leader in 1976 that a scoutmaster was molesting him, such information would be relevant to what the church knew in 1976 about abuse in scouting.” This landmark decision was critical in the plaintiff getting a favorable outcome and holding the LDS Church accountable for its knowledge of systemic child sexual abuse.
OTHER NOTABLE CASES OF SEXUAL
ABUSE IN THE MORMON CHURCH:
Mormons Paying $3 Million To Settle Sex Abuse Case.
In 2001, a victim reached a $3 million settlement with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The lawsuit alleged that the LDS Church was liable because it knew that one of its members, a high priest, had faced allegations of the child molestation in the past and failed to protect their client—a child in the church at the time—from the dangers he presented.
In 1995, a group of Mormon church insiders calling themselves the “Mormon Alliance” published a series of case reports of twenty-two cases of criminal prosecution of Mormons who sexually abused children. The case reports summarize newspaper accounts and other public information about sexual abuse within the LDS Church. All the cases have a common thread: the perpetrators were members of the Mormon Church and their leadership positions (“callings”) in the Church gave them access to children and a position of power over them. Some examples include:
At Crew Janci, we offer Free Confidential Consultation.
If you would like to talk to someone about your options, please call our toll-free at 1-888-407-0224 or submit the confidential form.
