The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is facing another lawsuit over the alleged misuse of member tithings — this time filed in the state of California by a married couple.
This is the latest lawsuit to come from the fallout of whistleblower David Nielson, a former senior portfolio manager with the Church’s investment arm, Ensign Peak Advisors. In December 2019, Nielson claimed the Church misused billions of dollars in tithes, including $1.4 billion to fund the City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City.
The plaintiffs, Gene and Michelle Judson, who have been members of the Church since 1967 and 1971, respectively, echoed Nielson’s claims in their lawsuit. The California couple explained in court documents that they believed their tithing was to used for charitable and welfare purposes or to build and maintain temples and support missionary work.
Instead, they claim the Church used their tithes – an estimated $40,000 between 2003 and 2020 – to help fund the construction of the City Creek Center mall in downtown Salt Lake City. The Judsons described themselves in court documents as “not wealthy” and at times living on limited means, but still routinely paid tithing on an annual basis, until recently.
ABC4 has reached out to the Church for comment on the newest lawsuit but has not received a reply by the time of publication. In the past, the Church has repeatedly stated that it did not use tithing funds for projects such as the City Creek Center, but rather the interest from investments.
The Judsons are asking to be awarded damages not only for themselves but for class members also affected by the alleged tithing misuse.
If successful on that principle, that would likely precipitate further suits en masse or a class action, and so bankrupt the Church. I don’t really see that happening.
Even if it is unsuccessful, it keeps the church’s mishandling of finances in the spotlight. The Brethren want nothing more than to sweep all of this under the rug.
If you wanna get rich, start a business. If you wanna get exhorbitantly wealthy, start a religion. Everyone should start their own religion in the U.S., just look at the perks available that would allow you to become extremely wealthy, enjoy the benefits of separation of church and state, tax-exemption and then getting your members to happily do a lot of free labor under the guise of 'service'. It's the perfect and ultimate business model, something the LDS 'church' figured out a long time ago. It pains me knowing how much money I've given to a 'church' that operates stealthily as a real estate corporation worth hundreds of billions that cares more about money than helping people. It is absolutely disgusting what the LDS 'church' gets away with... just disgusting. I hope there'a a day when the 'church' gets taken down by a massive class-action lawsuit that forces it to pay back all tithing donors with its hundreds of billions and then gets hit with tens of billions in fines for theft by deception and money-laundering, its assets seized and then re-structured as the for-profit corporation it is or charity, the latter of which would be a joke!!
It pains me knowing how much money I've given to a 'church' that operates stealthily as a real estate corporation worth hundreds of billions that cares more about money than helping people. It is absolutely disgusting what the LDS 'church' gets away with... just disgusting. I hope there'a a day when the 'church' gets taken down by a massive class-action lawsuit that forces it to pay back all tithing donors with its hundreds of billions and then gets hit with tens of billions in fines for theft by deception and money-laundering, its assets seized and then re-structured as the for-profit corporation it is or charity, the latter of which would be a joke!!