Mormon/LDS Church Sex Abuse Lawsuit
Sexual abuse within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), commonly known as the Mormon church, has been a pervasive issue affecting many individuals for years. Survivors of sexual abuse in the Mormon church often face unique challenges due to the nature of the religion, with cultural and religious stigmas discouraging reporting. It’s critical for survivors of abuse to understand their rights and options for legal recourse after experiencing harm.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- Sexual abuse in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, is a growing issue, and dozens of sex abuse cases in church buildings have been reported.
- In recent years, there have been numerous criminal and civil cases involving church leaders and members using their authority and Mormon doctrines to prey on individuals and protect abusers.
- Many people who have spoken online about leaving the Mormon faith have discussed the sexual abuse issues within the church and have empowered others to come forward to help protect others in the future.
- If you or someone you know experienced sexual abuse by a leader of the church or while attending your mission, you have rights and options. Helping Survivors can connect you to an experienced sexual abuse lawyer to help you understand what the next best step is for you.
Understanding Sexual Abuse in the Mormon Church
The extensive recent examples of sexual abuse cases connected to the LDS Church show that many Mormon religious leaders, clergy, and church members have used their positions of influence and authority to prey on victims and shield abusers. Meanwhile, the church as an institution has too often acted to protect its reputation while ignoring the harm to victims.
Some of the types of sexual abuse allegations the LDS Church has faced include:
- Sexual assault by Mormon Church leaders and members
- Sexual abuse, assault, or harassment of missionaries
- Reporting sexual assault by another member of the church to church leadership, but facing disciplinary action for doing so
- Being suspended or expelled from Mormon universities for reporting sexual assault, harassment, or abuse
- Being offered hush-money payments to discourage legal action
As of 2025, the LDS Church has made payments in at least 27 sexual abuse cases, with 15 of those settlements totaling approximately $50.95 million.
- Understanding Sexual Abuse in the Mormon Church
- LDS Church Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
- The History of Sexual Abuse in the Mormon Church
- Recent LDS Church Abuse Settlements and Cases
- Why is Sexual Abuse Common in the LDS Church?
- Legal Options for Survivors of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Sex Abuse
- What Has the Mormon Church Done in Response to Allegations of LDS Sexual Abuse?
- Can I Still File a Lawsuit Against the LDS Church if My Abuse Was Years Ago?
- Will Filing a Lawsuit Against the Mormon Church Make My Name Public?
- How to Report Mormon Church Sexual Abuse
- Get Help Now: Speak Confidentially With an Advocate
- Legal Help for LDS Sexual Abuse Survivors
- Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
LDS Church Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
Numerous LDS Church sexual abuse lawsuits have been filed across the country, each alleging that church leaders failed to report abuse, protected accused abusers, and prioritized the church’s reputation over survivor safety. These lawsuits reveal disturbing patterns of misconduct, institutional secrecy, and inadequate responses to abuse claims, leaving survivors to suffer in silence. Many legal actions against the LDS Church allege:
- Failure to report sexual abuse to law enforcement
- Covering up or minimizing abuse within LDS communities
- Reassigning known abusers to new positions of authority
- Using clergy privilege to withhold abuse reports
Filing a civil lawsuit after experiencing sexual abuse in the church is not just about financial compensation–it’s about holding the LDS Church accountable and protecting future generations from experiencing similar harm.
The History of Sexual Abuse in the Mormon Church
Unfortunately, sexual abuse in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a widespread problem. The practices and ideologies in the Mormon Church, especially around abstinence and sexual education in general, created a culture of secrecy and unknowingness within the Mormon community regarding healthy sexual relationships.
There have been several recent cases related to sexual abuse that happened on Mormon church property or perpetuated under the cloak of church policy and shaming tactics.
- JANUARY 2024: Church member John Goodrich was arrested in Virginia on multiple felony charges, including forcible rape, forcible sodomy, and aggravated sexual battery by a parent of a child for crimes involving his daughter.
- DECEMBER 2023: The Associated Press published reports of recordings taken by Mormon sexual abuse survivor, Chelsea Goodrich, that allegedly showed Paul Rytting, head of the church’s risk management division, deploying what was called “the risk management playbook that has helped the church keep child sexual abuse cases secret”. Beyond discouraging Chelsea and the local Bishop from testifying, Rytting allegedly offered Goodrich up to $300,000 to delete the recordings and agree not to sue.
- APRIL 2023: A California jury awarded $2.3 billion to a woman who sued her stepfather, who sexually abused her for nearly a decade. The LDS Church was implicated in the lawsuit when it was shown that local bishops were aware of the sexual abuse but did not report it.
- AUGUST 2022: A judge denied an attempt by the Mormon Church to settle sexual abuse claims associated with the Boy Scouts of America for $250 million. The judge ruled that allowing the settlement would provide too much cover to the church and would prevent victims of church sexual abuse connected with scouting from achieving justice.
Recent LDS Church Abuse Settlements and Cases
Several high-profile cases have brought national attention to sexual abuse in the LDS Church. These cases highlight a disturbing pattern of institutional failure that continues to be exposed nationwide, especially in Utah, West Virginia, and Arizona.
According to FLOODLIT, the LDS Church has paid dozens of settlements to victims after Mormon leaders or members were accused of sex crimes or failure to report. These include several multi-million dollar settlements, the largest of which involved a $32 million case regarding Utah and West Virginia Mormon church member Christopher Michael Jensen. Jensen has been sentenced to prison for child sexual abuse, and the local LDS churches were accused of covering up the abuse.
After reaching the $32 million settlement agreement, the LDS Church sued its own insurers, demanding they cover the cost. However, in April 2025, a federal judge ruled against the church, saying that because it failed to prevent the abuse, it was not owed indemnification by its insurers.
Why is Sexual Abuse Common in the LDS Church?
Like other institutions with a hierarchy involving authority figures and forced ideologies and practices, power dynamics and a culture of silence within the Mormon Church enable sexual predators to groom, abuse, and threaten individuals. Over the last thirty years, there have been many documented instances of church leaders ignoring or covering up sexual abuse by clergy and community members to protect the church’s reputation.
The LDS church generally promotes a view of leadership as being appointed to their positions by God, which makes it challenging for victims or church members to question leadership when they decide to cover up instances of sexual abuse. Additionally, given the overall views of sex and abstinence in the church, individuals within the faith who have been sexually assaulted often feel immense guilt, shame, and fear, and do not tell anyone for fear of retaliation, being shamed by their community, or being removed from the church.
Legal Options for Survivors of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Sex Abuse
Whether you experienced sexual abuse or assault by church leadership, another member, or while on your mission, you may have the right to file a civil lawsuit against the LDS Church, as well as the perpetrator. Civil sexual abuse lawsuits compensate victims with the resources needed to ensure they get the help they need to recover and move on with their lives. In addition, victims may be able to hold the church or religious institution that enabled or concealed the abuse liable.
If the person who harmed you is a member of Church leadership, or if the Church knew about the harm that happened to you and you believe intentionally enabled the perpetrator’s continued abuse, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the church for its role in the abuse. Civil lawsuits allow victims to seek monetary compensation for their losses, including:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Lost business opportunities
- Therapy costs
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
The Legal Process for Mormon Church Abuse Lawsuits
- Document Everything: Note all details you recall and capture any supporting evidence, such as screenshots of conversations about the incident. If it happened more than once, write down each incident you remember, including the date, your age, location, what you remember, and all details about the alleged perpetrator that you can recall. If you have already reported to the Church and believe they have mishandled your report, document everything you can regarding this experience.
- Consult an Attorney: Contact a lawyer specializing in this type of personal injury case as soon as possible to learn what legal options you have.
- Filing a Civil Claim: The law firm will handle all aspects of filing the lawsuit against the Church and its Church officials, allowing you to focus on healing and moving forward.
- Court Summons Response: Should there be any mandatory court dates or submissions, your lawyer will manage these, and it’s likely you won’t need to be present.
- Discovery Phase: This stage involves collecting all pertinent evidence and information about the incident, including any information you or the other named parties have about the case, such as emails, text messages, or phone recordings.
- Settlement Negotiations or Jury Trial: After the discovery phase, both parties may negotiate a settlement or proceed to trial to resolve the case. A trial involves both sides presenting evidence to a jury or an individual judge, and a determination is made regarding the outcome, including a potential monetary judgment.
What Has the Mormon Church Done in Response to Allegations of LDS Sexual Abuse?
Despite recurrent allegations of abuse, the LDS Church has seemingly taken little action to prevent sexual abuse in its community, instead choosing to cover up allegations and silence victims. Church leaders have continued to lobby against new regulations that would require church leaders who receive a disclosure of sexual abuse to report the incident to law enforcement or child protective services.
The Church could take several steps to help victims of sexual assault, but instead, they appear to continue to try to protect the church’s reputation alongside the reputations of known repeat offenders who are members and in positions of leadership. Though the Mormon church operates a helpline for members who have experienced abuse, recent cases have shown a tendency among helpline staff to discourage callers from reporting sexual abuse to law enforcement.
Can I Still File a Lawsuit Against the LDS Church if My Abuse Was Years Ago?
Your eligibility for filing a civil lawsuit against the LDS Church depends on several factors, including the state where the harm occurred. While many states have updated their statutes of limitations to allow survivors more time to file claims, others still severely restrict sexual abuse lawsuits. The best first step is to contact an experienced attorney who understands LDS sexual abuse cases and relevant state laws.
Will Filing a Lawsuit Against the Mormon Church Make My Name Public?
Survivors of sexual abuse often have the option to file civil lawsuits anonymously or under a pseudonym, such as John Doe or Jane Doe. A qualified attorney can help you understand how to protect your privacy during legal proceedings.
How to Report Mormon Church Sexual Abuse
If you or a family member has experienced sexual abuse in the LDS Church community, the choice of what to do next is deeply personal. Whether you contact law enforcement or use support and resources outside of legal action, no path is right or wrong. However, it is important to be aware of the statute of limitations for sexual abuse in your state so you do not miss your opportunity to take legal action should you choose to do so.
The criminal legal process for reporting Mormon sexual abuse may look like this:
- Reporting to law enforcement: By calling local law enforcement or visiting your local police station, you can initiate an investigation into the sexual abuse that you or your loved one experienced.
- Investigation & prosecution review: The case will be assigned to detectives. You will likely be interviewed by investigators familiar with handling sexual abuse cases. Law enforcement may also collect any forensic evidence that is still available, including clothing, DNA, and other physical evidence that will help supplement the testimony and answers you give in your interview.
- Criminal proceedings: Law enforcement may use your report to bring criminal proceedings against the perpetrator. Ultimately, the prosecutors in your area will decide whether they have enough evidence to bring criminal proceedings against the perpetrator.
Filing a report with law enforcement can greatly help if you pursue a civil lawsuit against the Mormon church, as it creates an official report of the harm that happened. This is true even if prosecutors do not bring criminal charges against the perpetrator.
Get Help Now: Speak Confidentially With an Advocate
Helping Survivors is on a mission to help heal, educate, and empower people who have been impacted by sexual assault and abuse. We do this by informing individuals of their reporting rights and options, connecting survivors to resources and educational content, and making legal introductions to partner law firms. These firms can help you file a civil lawsuit against the individuals and institutions that enabled the abuse, to compensate victims for the abuse they suffered. As experienced advocates for survivors, we are ready to guide you through your options in a safe, confidential space.
Legal Help for LDS Sexual Abuse Survivors
You are not alone, and you never have to be again. If you or a loved one has experienced sexual abuse within the Mormon Church, Helping Survivors is here to listen, believe you, and help you take the next step toward healing and justice. Reach out confidentially today, because your story matters, and your voice deserves to be heard.
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