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LDS Abuse Lawsuit
Upholding Communities & Keeping Families Safe.
Your faith is important. Your family is important. Your community is important.
But what if you or your child were sexually abused by a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, especially as a child or young woman?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has regrettably become part of the increasing number of prominent religious institutions and faith-based groups facing allegations of abuse within their organizations. Reports of sexual assault and misconduct have come to light, involving members and priesthood holders who have violated the sanctity of their roles and the trust of their community in deeply troubling ways.
With this happening over decades, it’s apparent that this tragedy won’t fix itself. Those who have been hurt are starting to take a stand to ensure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Recent lawsuits around the country are successfully holding those who have abused their positions within the Church of Jesus Christ responsible to the rule of law and the church’s own spiritual laws. Faith should never be used as a shield to protect against abuse.
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We’re changing the narrative about lawsuits.™
“I don’t know all the answers, but I was a child victim [in the LDS Church], and this is my perspective as an adult now. It might be a little messed up, because I’ve been really scarred, and I’m still working through all of my own trauma, on top of trying to figure out the cultural problems associated with what I went through.”
Telling in Confidence Can Be Healing.
Every survivor who tells their story or reports abuse, every officer who arrests a predator, every judge/jury enforcing the law, and anyone who teaches a child how to protect themselves and report abuse is part of stopping a devastating contagion where, most of the time, the survivor knows the abuser.
You’ve known and trusted them, and they’ve taken advantage of that trust and the knowledge of how difficult it can be for a person to speak out against a beloved community member.
Speaking out can be a powerful tool.
In a first-of-its-kind study,1 fourteen women tell their stories and lay the groundwork for exploring the experiences of Latter-day Saint sexual abuse survivors. “Many participants echoed the desire for increased awareness, hoping that the pain they had gone through would be shared and bring about change within their community.”
Taking legal action is also one of the only avenues a person can take to effect large, institutional change. Legal action can help ensure protections are put in place for those who speak up and restrictions are put in place for offenders in the institutions they are a part of to make sure this abuse is stopped in its tracks for future women and children.
The time to move forward is now.
More states are loosening their statutes of limitation (SOL) under circumstances of sexual assault by offering temporary lookback windows when you can still bring charges no matter how long ago you were hurt.
Other states are eliminating SOL for sex crimes altogether. Because SOL is different for every state and temporary lookback windows can be brief, it’s essential to get started sooner rather than later to ensure you can move forward.
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Telling Your Story in Confidence.
We understand the importance of privacy and confidentiality in this process. Sharing your story does not mean you must make it fully public. Our process is entirely confidential. You can explore your legal options with complete privacy and only involve those you want to be involved with.
If we are able to connect you with a law firm – with the very valid concerns present in this type of lawsuit about retaliation – the ability to file anonymously is something all of the law firms we work with take very seriously to make sure you don’t have to put yourself at risk or go through any more hardship than you already have gone through.
We want to put you on a track to healing your life and the life of your family going forward in the way that is best for you. We understand that sometimes this can be a family decision, just as much as an individual one—you will be able to control how to move forward every step of the way.
What Is the Church’s Perspective on Assault in 2024?
The restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2024 teaches in Handbook 1 for local lay leaders that rape victims often suffer serious trauma and feelings of guilt and are not guilty of sin, that church lay, and ordained leaders should be sensitive to such victims and give caring attention to help them overcome the destructive effects of abuse.2
In the past, Church teachings around virtue and chastity meant that rape was seen as a sexual sin in the same way as any sex outside of wedlock. Abuse survivors who came forward were often left without much sympathy and sometimes were even blamed for not fighting back hard enough or putting themselves in that position and asked to repent for the sin.
In a beloved church volume still read and shared by many, a Prophet of the Church states: “It is better to die in defending one’s virtue than to live having lost it without a struggle.”
-Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, LDS Prophet, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 196
Said another way, for a long time, the Church was hard on women who lost their virginity before marriage, no matter what the reason. A lot of wounded women kept secrets to the grave.3 It was made even more challenging to speak up when the abuser was a leader in the community around them.
In 2024, though, seemingly more focus is on the circumstances surrounding lost virtue: If you were raped against your will and tried your best to resist, you are not guilty in the eyes of the Church. This is a huge step.4
Nevertheless, the stigma around sexual abuse can make it challenging to come forward and make it equally difficult for the Church to openly communicate about cases of abuse to make sure they are fully resolved. A tradition of condemnation has only recently shifted and can be hard to break away from in the communities around the church.
No one should feel like they must choose between their faith, safety, or peace of mind—another reason we strongly believe in this lawsuit and its goals.
What To Know About the Lawsuit in 2024.
The fact that recently there have been ongoing, victorious lawsuits against sexual member-predators in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints signals the depth of the injuries and perhaps survivors’ desperation to tell someone without hurting their husband or father.5
The formal charges against the Church are 1/ neglecting to protect [their] children from instances of sexual abuse and 2/ seemingly prioritizing safeguarding the institution over attending to the needs of abuse survivors.
We hope the lawsuits will help change this.
Here’s what this lawsuit is looking at in terms of eligibility:
The abuser was a church member or at a church function
The abuse caused physical or emotional harm
The church was negligent in some way in connection with the abuse or reporting it
Here’s A Public Testimony.
Meagan Leyva agreed to tell her story publicly using her full name after an experience with an older man, a member of the Church, she dated when she was a student at Utah State. She says she was at his place late one night “fooling around a little bit” when his advances became more aggressive.
“I don’t want to have sex; I don’t want to have sex, not now” she repeatedly told him. “But then it was happening,” she said. The Church’s Honor Code said Leyva shouldn’t have been at a man’s apartment so late at night in the first place, so on top of feeling violated, she felt guilt and shame.
“It was January and freezing, obviously. … I was carrying my shirt and my bra with me. I was just wearing a sweatshirt I had worn. … It was snowing. … It just felt so ironic because it was so white and so pure, and here I was, not pure anymore.”
A month later, when Leyva understood that what happened to her was rape, she went to police authorities. [NOTE: Rape is not the only form of sexual abuse that is unlawful: also, inappropriate touch, fondling, groping, unwanted kissing.]
The 25-year-old Latter-day Saint man who Meagan charged was arrested and imprisoned.
In the meantime, every member can help in these ways:
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Explain physical boundaries – you can discuss body safety without discussing sexuality. Teach young children that no one should touch them in any area their bathing suit covers and that they should never touch anyone else in this area or see pictures or movies that show those areas.
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Teach your child that no one should ever ask them to keep a secret.
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Explain to your kids what to do next if someone is unsafe with them.
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Mostly, live your faith at home, creating a safe space for children.
Why Are We Talking About This?
A Case for Justice is the affiliate of the national company, A Case for Women, founded in 2016. We have been helping sexual assault survivors for years. Now we want to do everything in our power to educate and encourage Latter-day Saints to be comfortable reporting when abuse occurs, take decisive action against it, and do everything possible to discourage a culture that can encourage keeping abuse secret and hidden.
Suppose you or a loved one was raped or otherwise sexually violated by a member of the Church, including a bishop, elder, family member, Scoutmaster, camp counselor, or missionary. In that case, you may be eligible to join the LDS Sexual Abuse lawsuit and seek compensation.
We only work with lawyers who operate on contingency, meaning the firm is only ever paid if they win or settle on your behalf and directly out of that win or settlement. For our services, we charge you nothing (ever). We believe in your right to privacy and confidentiality about a personal experience. If you were sexually assaulted or abused and didn’t know what to do, contact us, and we can get started.
We know just how difficult this first step can be. You will always communicate with an actual human, and we can speak over the phone, text, or email – whichever is easiest for you- to facilitate a safe environment to tell your story and move forward. Our diverse Intake team includes men and women, several of whom are Latter-day Saints or have family in the Church themselves, trained in trauma, who take your calls and listen to your story.
We are delighted to collaborate with the law firm for this sensitive initiative.
Know this, please: ACFJ and ACFW and the law firm can be trusted to care about your situation in a way that is intended to promote restored health after an assault. You can trust us in the absolute, most authentic sense of trust to keep you and your case private and/or fully anonymous. Experts believe this is the way you can best start healing yourself and your family after a sexual trauma. We want to help you; that’s no secret.
We are here 24/7/365 to hear your story with the utmost confidence.
Contact Us Here in Strict Confidence
Sources
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Choruby-Whiteley, Amber, and Susan L. Morrow. ““I Was Praying for My Very Salvation from My Sexual Abuse”: Experiences of Sexual Abuse Survivors in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” Women & Therapy, vol. 44, no. 3, 2021, pp. 292–318
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Staff, “Child Sex Abuse: Civil Statutes of Limitations,” National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), November 29, 2023
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Ibid.
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New Era staff writer, “Dating FAQS,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, April 10, 2024
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Ruth Graham, “Does the Mormon Church Empower Women? A Social Media Storm Answers,” New York Times, March 22, 2024
