Two families are suing the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (LDS), claiming that the church knowingly allowed a high priest with convictions for child sexual abuse to have continued access to children in Seattle.
These two families say that their 4-year-old and 5-year-old were sexually abused by that high priest in the 80s.
“Despite Defendants’ knowledge, the Defendants failed to take reasonable steps to protect Plaintiffs from the danger of being sexually abused by [high priest]. As a result, High Priest [name] was able to use his positions with Defendants to sexually abuse Plaintiffs,” the suit read.
KIRO 7 is not naming the high priest because some of his victims were family members. Naming him could identify them.
The suit alleges that the LDS Church knew of the danger and risk the high priest posed to children as early as 1984, but still allowed him to lead and have access to children at the church and a daycare run by LDS.
The High Priest would often put young girls on his lap for no solid reason, according to the suit. One parent saw him touching a girl inappropriately while she was on his lap.
One of the victims in the suit was 5 years old when she was abused by the high priest. She reported the abuse two years later to her mother.
The girl’s mother had a meeting with a bishop and the high priest, who downplayed the concerns, despite admitting to the mother that the high priest had previous known incidents of child sexual assault, the suit said.
After that meeting, the girl’s mother informed other mother’s in the church who said they had similar misgivings.
Another woman came forward saying that her 4 year old was assaulted by the high priest in 1983.
The concerns were escalated to the president of the chapter, who told the bishop to tell the congregation that the high priest had been excommunicated,
In March of 1987, the high priest pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape.
Several months later, in September, Seattle police investigated him again for sexual abuse of minors. This investigation involved sexual abuse on Defendant’s property and was reported by two minor church members, including the first victim.
In 1988, he pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent liberties for sexual abuse that occurred on the LDS property.
In the suit, the parents are asking for the following relief:
a. That the Court award Plaintiffs monetary relief to include all special and general damages established at trial;
b. That the Court award Plaintiffs their costs, reasonable attorney fees, and any statutory interests applicable under law or equity;
c. That the Court award Plaintiffs pre-judgment interest on items of special damages;
d. That the Court award Plaintiffs post-judgment interest; and
e. That the Court award Plaintiffs such other relief, under law or equity, as the Court may deem just and proper.