For survivors of abuse within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), the path to healing is often complicated by a profound sense of institutional betrayal. Many are now turning to civil lawsuits because the internal reporting systems they were taught to trust have not provided the safety, accountability, or justice they deserve, leaving the legal system as a powerful alternative for reclaiming their voice.
The decision to step forward is never easy. It is an act of immense courage born from deep pain, and it represents a critical turning point in a survivor's journey. Understanding the failures of the church's internal processes and the unique power that a civil lawsuit provides can illuminate why so many are choosing this path now to seek truth and force meaningful change.
If you survived abuse by someone associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you have legal rights. When you are ready to take that first courageous step, an experienced church abuse injury lawyer can guide you through the complex legal process with compassion and skill.
Contact the legal team at Lawsuit Legal News
The Foundation of Trust and The Devastation of Betrayal
From a young age, members of the LDS Church are taught to place immense trust in their leaders. Bishops and stake presidents are not just volunteer administrators; they are presented as men who hold priesthood authority, acting as direct representatives of God. They are spiritual guides, confidants, and judges of personal "worthiness." This sacred trust forms the very fabric of the community.
When an abuser, whether a leader or another member, exploits this trust, the harm is twofold. There is the horrific trauma of the sexual abuse itself, and then there is the shattering of the survivor's spiritual foundation. The place that was meant to be the ultimate sanctuary becomes the source of their deepest pain and usually fear. This is the definition of institutional betrayal, and its wounds can be the most difficult to heal.
Survivors often report feeling that their very relationship with God was manipulated and used as part of the grooming process, making it incredibly difficult to speak out. They fear not just social ostracism, but spiritual condemnation. Since their spiritual support structure is shattered, they often feel like there is no one to turn to for help in these situations. Reaching out is incredibly difficult for a variety of reasons.
The Failure of Internal Justice: The LDS Abuse Helpline and Worthiness Interviews
For decades, the LDS Church has maintained that it has a zero-tolerance policy for abuse and that its procedures are designed to protect children and help those who have been harmed. However, harrowing accounts from survivors and investigative reporting have exposed critical flaws in these internal systems. Many survivors and their families feel these options prioritize protecting the institution's reputation and legal standing over the well-being of church members.
Is the LDS Abuse Helpline Really a Tool for the Institution?
The church has a dedicated helpline that leaders are instructed to call when they learn of an allegation of abuse. On the surface, this seems like a responsible step. However, a groundbreaking investigation by The Associated Press revealed a deeply troubling reality. The investigation, based on sealed church records and interviews, found that the helpline is staffed by lawyers from the church’s top law firm, Kirton McConkie.
According to the AP report, leaders who call the helpline are often given legal advice aimed at protecting the church from liability. Crucially, the instructions can create confusion or delays in reporting the abuse to law enforcement as required by state law.
For a survivor, the implications of this are devastating:
- You Are Viewed as a Legal Threat: The system is structured to manage a legal problem, not to provide immediate, trauma-informed care for a person in crisis.
- Your Safety is Secondary: Any delay in reporting to the police can allow an abuser to harm other people and destroy evidence.
- Your Voice is Silenced: When leaders are primarily concerned with following legal instructions from a team of lawyers hired to protect the church, the survivor’s immediate needs and desire for justice can be pushed aside.
The Problem with "Worthiness" Interviews
Another significant hurdle for survivors within the LDS system is the concept of "worthiness" and the culture of confession. When a survivor discloses abuse to a bishop, the focus can wrongly shift to questions about the survivor’s own actions, chastity, or "their part" in what happened. This is a subtle but potent form of victim-blaming.
Instead of being met with unequivocal belief and support, a survivor might be questioned in a way that implies they share responsibility for their own abuse. This can inflict profound secondary trauma, burying them under a mountain of shame and guilt that is not theirs to carry.
The Power of the Civil Justice System: A Path to Survivor Empowerment
Faced with an internal system that feels designed to silence and protect the church institution, survivors are increasingly realizing that the civil justice system offers a completely different dynamic. By moving outside the closed and self-preserving church system, survivors who bring legal action in civil court experience a system that can return power and control to them.
A civil lawsuit is not about revenge; it is about accountability, truth, and creating a public record so that what happened to them cannot be hidden or allowed to happen to others. It is also the best way for survivors to recover financial compensation to help them receive the therapy, counseling, and support they deserve.
1. A Lawsuit Gives You the Power to Uncover the Truth Through Discovery
Perhaps the single most powerful tool in a civil lawsuit is the discovery process. This is the formal legal procedure where each side can demand evidence from the other. For a survivor, this means your legal team can request and obtain documents that the LDS Church would never voluntarily release, such as:
- Internal emails and memos about the abuser.
- Records of prior complaints or allegations against the same person.
- Transcripts and records from the abuse helpline.
- Evidence of transfers where an abuser was quietly moved from one congregation to another without warning the new community.
Discovering that the institution knew about an abuser, or the risk they posed, and did nothing to stop them, is a powerful form of validation. It proves that the failure was not yours; it was the institution's. This evidence becomes the foundation for holding the organization legally responsible for its negligence in not protecting church members from abuse.
2. The Power to Control Your Own Story
Within the confines of the church, a survivor's story is often filtered, reinterpreted, or even suppressed by leaders. In a civil lawsuit, your story is the central evidence. You, the survivor, are the one who gets to tell your truth, in your own words.
While testifying can be difficult, it is done with the support of a legal team dedicated solely to you. It is an opportunity to have your experience documented and validated by a court of law, completely outside the control of the institution that harmed you.
3. The Power of Public Accountability
Church discipline is almost always handled in secret. An abuser might be privately excommunicated, but the community is rarely, if ever, informed of their crimes. This secrecy allows the institution to avoid public scandal and enables the abuser to move on, often with the ability to harm again.
A civil lawsuit, by contrast, is a public matter. Filing a claim puts the facts on the public record, for all to see. It shines a disinfecting light on the abuse and the institutional cover-up that allowed it to happen. This public accountability is not about shaming; it is about preventing future harm. It warns other families and forces the institution to confront its failures in a way that private shame never could.
If you are concerned about confidentiality and whether your identity can be protected during the legal process, speak with a knowledgeable sexual abuse lawyer who can explain the various protective steps they can take to make the process as comfortable as possible.
4. The Power of Acknowledging Lifelong Harm and Receiving Compensation to Help Recover From Abuse
No amount of money can erase the trauma of abuse. However, financial compensation in a civil lawsuit is a tangible and legal acknowledgment of the profound and lifelong harm a survivor has endured. It is not a "payday." It is a resource that can provide for:
- Ongoing therapy and mental health treatment.
- Lost income and educational opportunities resulting from trauma.
- Medical care for physical health issues linked to long-term abuse-related issues.
- A sense of justice by forcing the institution to pay for the damage its negligence caused.
This compensation is a legal declaration that what was taken from you has immense value, and the responsible party must be held accountable for that loss.
Expanding Survivor’s Legal Opportunities: Hope Through Lookback Windows
For many years, one of the biggest obstacles for survivors has been the statute of limitations—the legal time limit for filing a lawsuit. It is a well-known fact that a survivor of childhood sexual abuse may need years, or even decades, to process the trauma related to the abuse and feel ready to come forward.
Recognizing this reality, states across the country have been enacting legislative reforms, often called "lookback windows" or "reviver statutes." These new laws create a specific period of time, typically one to three years, during which survivors can file civil claims for past abuse, regardless of when it occurred.
The passage of these laws in states like New York, California, and others has empowered thousands of survivors to finally seek justice. As more states consider and pass these vital reforms, a window of opportunity may be opening for you in 2025.
Questions and Answers About Sexual Abuse in the LDS Church
What is the difference between a civil lawsuit for abuse and a criminal case?
A criminal case is brought by the government (through a prosecutor) to punish a wrongdoer for a crime, with potential penalties like jail time. A civil lawsuit is a private action filed by an individual (the plaintiff) against a person or institution (the defendant) to seek financial compensation for the harm they caused. A civil case can proceed even if prosecutors decide not to file criminal charges or if a criminal case results in an acquittal.
Can I file a lawsuit if my abuser is deceased?
In many cases, yes. You may still file a civil lawsuit against the abuser's estate. More importantly, you can file a lawsuit against the institution, such as the LDS Church, that had a duty to protect you and negligently failed to do so. The lawsuit focuses on the institution's failure, not just the actions of the individual abuser.
How much does it cost to hire a lawyer for an abuse lawsuit?
Most experienced survivor attorneys handle these cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay no upfront fees. The law firm covers all costs of investigating and pursuing the case. The attorneys only receive a fee as a percentage of the final settlement or award if they successfully recover money for you. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney's fees.
What if I signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the church?
You should not assume an NDA prevents you from taking legal action. The validity of an NDA, especially one signed under duress, without legal representation, or concerning criminal acts, can be challenged in court.
Additionally, new laws in some states, like the federal Speak Out Act, limit the enforceability of NDAs in cases of sexual assault and harassment. An attorney can review your specific situation and advise you on your options.
For more information on the Speak Out Act, you can visit Congress.gov's page on the legislation.
Your Voice Matters. Your Story Deserves to Be Heard.
Taking the first step toward exploring your legal options is a profound act of self-advocacy and strength. It is a courageous decision to move out of the shadows of the past and into the light of accountability. You are not betraying your faith; you are holding an institution accountable for betraying its sacred duty to protect you.
Also, you are not alone in this journey. Thousands of other survivors are finding their voices and realizing the immense power they have when they stand together. Some law firms are focusing their practice on these Mormon church sex abuse lawsuit cases since so many brave survivors are demanding justice and accountability for the failure of the Mormon church to protect vulnerable members.
When You are Ready to Learn More About Your Personal Rights and Options, Turn to Lawsuit Legal News
The decision to pursue legal action is deeply personal, and you deserve to have all the information you need in a safe, confidential, and pressure-free environment. The legal team at Lawsuit Legal News includes attorneys who are extensively experienced in handling these uniquely sensitive cases with the compassion and respect you deserve.
We invite you to contact Lawsuit Legal News for a free and completely confidential consultation. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about your specific legal rights and options in a space where you will be heard, believed, and supported. It costs you nothing to learn more. Calling us at (866) 535-9515 can be the first step toward reclaiming your life story and achieving the justice you have long been denied.
Contact the legal team at Lawsuit Legal News