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Lawsuit filed against church for coverup of sex abuse

MARTINSBURG - A lawsuit filed in Berkeley County against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormon Church, and local church officials accuses church leaders of covering up allegations that the son of local church officials sexually abused 12 children over the course of more than five years.

For your consideration

This bit seems interesting...

The suit also alleges that the church has continued its cover up, sending emissaries from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Martinsburg to instruct witnesses not to talk with attorneys representing the children suing the church.

In addition, the suit alleges that the church, through its leaders, has tried to intimidate the families of the children suing the church and has allegedly directed fellow church members to try to convince them to abandon their claims "lest they run afoul of church teachings regarding forgiveness," a copy of the suit reads.

Bazooka wrote:This bit seems interesting...

The suit also alleges that the church has continued its cover up, sending emissaries from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Martinsburg to instruct witnesses not to talk with attorneys representing the children suing the church.

In addition, the suit alleges that the church, through its leaders, has tried to intimidate the families of the children suing the church and has allegedly directed fellow church members to try to convince them to abandon their claims "lest they run afoul of church teachings regarding forgiveness," a copy of the suit reads.

It should be an interesting court case. If the above claim is true, the church deserves to be punished for such behavior. Severely.

I've always thought the only to way to possibly get at the financial records of the church was through a punitive damages claim. This looks promising as the cover up seems to fit the MO of the church. Could be years from now but maybe we'll get a peek.

If specific Church leaders are found to have been instrumental in the cover up, could they be personally prosecuted?

"By their fruits ye shall know them."

From my experience in dealing with a TBM child abusing bastard idiot, the church leaders INITIALLY took the correct steps and actions in dealing with him. Authorities were contacted, he was removed from the home (he was molesting his daughters), and professional counseling as well as spiritual counseling and the "repentance process" started.

As things progressed, it seemed as if the church leaders were more concerned with the well being of the perverted tithe paying bastard than they were of his victims. They were convinced that since he appeared to be progressing through his repentance and with the assistance of god and the holy spook, he would be O.K. The daughters were not directly told NOT to testify against him, but instead were "counseled" that if they did, that could lead to him serving jail time, possible divorce, financial disaster for the family, and the breaking up of a celestial family unit. Is that what they wanted? Especially since he was so sorry for what he had done and was doing so well in his repentance process. After he moved back in the home, the church leaders did have to slap him on the wrist a little. Instead of being sexually abusive, he was now physically and verbally abusive. Still, he was doing well with the repenting thing, paying his tithing, and I guess physical/verbal abuse was preferable to mounting one of the daughters and ejaculating through his garments on her.

Eventually there was a divorce. The wife chose to take her chances and break up the "celestial family unit" rather than endure more hell on this earth. Her and the kids dumped the church as well. Sadly, not long after, she passed away from cancer. Of her four kids, two were still minors. A vigorous custody battle ensued between the child molesting bastard father and the eldest daughter. Perhaps the most disgusting display I have ever seen came from the local church leaders. They supplied the court with a rousing endorsement for the "now fully repented and recovered" bastard father, and implied that it wasn't HIS actions that turned the kids against him, but instead the influence of their apostate mother. Fortunately, the State of California has psychological testing that far outweighs the bogus "spirit of discernment". Tests showed that he hadn't changed at all. The daughter got custody and eventually a loophole in the law was used resulting in the father serving a minimal sentence for his past deeds. I got to write a letter to his Bishop condemning him for his endorsement, challenging him to allow the "cured" bastard father to babysit HIS kids, and encouraging him to resign and give up the charade of being "led by the spirit".

Perhaps in the lawsuit case mentioned above there are some similarities to what I observed. Perhaps church leaders were so caught up in what they perceive to be the rehabilitating qualities of the repentance process that they were blinded to reality. I believe there are some churches who will not allow child molesters to be members or greatly curtail their access and availability, even having a member shadow them when they are in the building. What is disturbing in the LDS church (unless things have changed in the years I have been away) is that there is no disclosure (except to a select few) that a known child molesting member is in the midst of the rest of the congregation. Hopefully due to the above mentioned lawsuit and the cash the church will eventually shell out, that may change.

I do know that the child molesting bastard I mentioned above is back in full fellowship with the church. For all you church-going TBM's out there who read this board, keep that in mind on Sunday in sacrament meeting when that guy sitting in the row behind you is playing peek-a-boo with your daughter.

suniluni2 wrote:I've always thought the only to way to possibly get at the financial records of the church was through a punitive damages claim. This looks promising as the cover up seems to fit the MO of the church. Could be years from now but maybe we'll get a peek.

Not a chance. The church will settle at any cost long before it will allow those financial records out.

After learning of the abuse, Jensen's parents allegedly banished him from the family home and made him sleep in the backyard but, at the time, allegedly encouraged church families to use their son as a babysitter, the suit reads.

Hopefully the parents will be made to pay through the nose for this.

Church leaders covering-up the sexual sins of their sons? WAAAAAHHHHAAAAAT? Of course this happens all the time. I knew of the son of my Stake President who was screwing all sorts of Mormon and non-Mormon girls. I knew one Mormon gal, a new convert, he screwed. She claimed date-rape. Told her bishop, and the bishop was told "hands off"! Nothing was done. The last I knew of him, he went on a mission, somewhere in Asia I think. Of course, Hinckley covered up the sins of a close male relative of his. Happens all the time. No news here.