Honk News (San Diego, CA) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the US is facing serious turmoil following a wave of sexual abuse allegations that have emerged in California, marking yet another scandal for the organization commonly referred to as the Mormon church.
A legal window spanning three years has enabled adult survivors of sexual assault in California to come forward, resulting in nearly 100 allegations of childhood sexual abuse involving leaders of the Mormon community.
The allegations mirror those made against various hierarchical organizations in the US, highlighting a troubling pattern: officials are accused of exploiting their authority to groom, manipulate, and abuse minors, while senior leaders within these institutions either were aware of or should have been aware of the misconduct yet failed to take action to stop it.
Five plaintiffs have come forward with allegations against the Utah-based church, claiming they experienced abuse in San Diego County. Among them, three individuals assert the highest spiritual authorities sexually assaulted them within their congregations.
Multiple individuals claim they reported the abuse to various church authorities. A woman bringing forth claims asserted that the authorities “sought to shield” the offenders, while the organization “managed the ongoing accusations privately as a ‘moral issue’ and no leader informed law enforcement about any incident.”
A woman in Escondido has claimed that she was sexually assaulted by two male relatives, including a bishop and a “home teacher,” over a period spanning from 1961 to at least 1978.
A new allegation has been submitted on behalf of a woman’s estate, claiming she was subjected to ongoing abuse by two home teachers from the LDS community starting in 1961. A man claims he experienced abuse multiple times over a two-month period in 1978 by his bishop at the age of 14. He claims that he subsequently reported the abuse to a bishop from another region, but was met with indifference and dismissal.
A man alleges that he was assaulted by a bishop in 1995 and informed his father about the abuse. His father then reported it to an LDS official, who cautioned him that he should support the alleged abuser or face the possibility of excommunication from the church.
A fifth individual has come forward, alleging that he was subjected to abuse at the age of 16 during private lessons with a bishop. According to the lawsuit, the bishop reportedly told him that remaining silent would lead him to heaven, while speaking out about the abuse would result in damnation.
Attorneys are seeking to combine the numerous lawsuits against the LDS church, which share many common elements, into a single multi-district litigation in California’s central district.