Child Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against LDS Church Dismissed Citing Clergy-Penitent Privilege; Plaintiffs to Appeal

Abuser Paul Adams Continued Assault on Daughters for Seven Years Despite Confession, Due to LDS Church's Use of Clergy-Penitent Privilege Immunity; Attorney for Victims Plans to Challenge Legal Ruling.

• The lawsuit against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding child sexual abuse by Paul Adams is dismissed by Judge Timothy Dickerson, citing the exemption afforded by clergy-penitent privilege.
• Despite Adams' confession of his child abuse during a spiritual confession, church bishops who knew about it were not required to report it due to Arizona's clergy-penitent privilege.
• The LDS Church's decision not to report Adams allowed him to continue abusing his daughters for seven years; he posted videos of the abuse online.
• An attorney for the Adams children, Lynne Cadigan, intends to appeal the ruling, arguing that the interpretation of clergy-penitent privilege undermines the state's child protection law and defeated the rights of victims.
• The Associated Press investigation reveals a system used by the LDS Church to avoid litigation by keeping serious child sexual abuse cases secret. It includes a church helpline, where records of child abuse complaints are destroyed daily.

3 Articles

The Salt Lake Tribune Washington Post Associated Press