Latter-day Saints sues podcaster who exposed alleged child sex abuse by ex-Mormon leader in Chicago region
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Church officials say they are not trying “to influence the content” of John Dehlin’s long-running “Mormon Stories” audio-video podcast, which has been deeply critical of the Utah-based institution. While they insist the lawsuit is about copyright and trademark infringement, Dehlin suspects otherwise, saying: “It appears like the intent is to harm us, harm our reputation and bankrupt us.”
Long critical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a popular podcaster whose audio-video platform earlier this year helped reveal accusations that a one-time Mormon figure in the Chicago area molested children in the region is now being sued by the institution.
The church insists it’s not payback for the years that John Dehlin’s “Mormon Stories” podcast exposed and delved into church controversies — including a child sexual abuse scandal.
Rather, the lawsuit filed in federal court in Utah, where the denomination is based, says the case is really about trademark and copyright infringement — that Dehlin is using words and images that essentially belong to the church, and that’s proved confusing for some people who wonder if the show is church-sanctioned.
Dehlin says that’s nonsense, noting he’s done his show for two decades with little change.
“I think it’s a fair question to ask them: After 21 years, why now?” Dehlin said, adding his platforms include 800,000 subscribers. “It appears like the intent is to harm us, harm our reputation and bankrupt us.”
Read more https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/04/29/latter-day-saints-sues-podcaster-mormon-stories-john-dehlin-todd-wade-christofferson
Content retrieved from: https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/04/29/latter-day-saints-sues-podcaster-mormon-stories-john-dehlin-todd-wade-christofferson.
