LDS church agrees to ‘settlement in principle’ of more than 100 sex abuse lawsuits in California
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SAN DIEGO — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has agreed in principle to settle more than 100 childhood sexual abuse lawsuits filed against it last year in San Diego and across California, according to recent court filings in the cases.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs and the Utah-based LDS church, often referred to as the Mormon church, have filed joint motions in dozens of cases in recent weeks informing judges that they “reached a settlement in principle” during a private mediation session on April 10. Each of the filings assert that the “proposed settlement includes global resolution of over one hundred other claims.”
The terms of the proposed settlement were not disclosed and may never be released publicly. Unlike settlements involving government agencies, which are a matter of public record, private organizations such as the LDS church can keep settlement agreements confidential.
Michael Carney, a Los Angeles attorney whose firm, Slater Slater Schulman, is representing the plaintiffs, declined to comment on the proposed settlement pending its finalization.
A church spokesperson also declined to comment.
Among the roughly 100 plaintiffs who sued the church in separate but related lawsuits in courts across California, five alleged they were abused in San Diego County, including three who say they were sexually assaulted by their bishops, the top spiritual leaders of local congregations in the LDS church. All of the lawsuits, some of which dealt with incidents dating back several decades, contained similar allegations that church leaders used their positions of power to groom, manipulate and abuse children. Each suit alleged sexual abuse of a minor, negligence and other related claims against the church, alleging leaders either knew or should have known about the abuse but did not act to stop it.
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