Nadrich Law Corporation is representing Idaho victims of child sex abuse against members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other institutions such as the Catholic church. We have partnered up with an Idaho law firm to work with us.
In recent times, major religious organizations throughout the country have been dogged by allegations of child sexual abuse and coverups of the abuse by church officials. Sadly, the LDS church is a religious organization which has been repeatedly accused of covering up sexual abuse committed by its members.
Mormon church sex abuse needs to stop. Abusers and church leaders who protect them need to be held accountable. We will do that for our clients.
Our compassionate, experienced legal team offers free, confidential consultations and will handle your sex abuse lawsuit on a contingency fee basis, which means that you won’t be charged any fee until and unless we recover financial compensation on your behalf. The only fee you will ever owe us is a percentage of any financial recovery we obtain for you – you won’t ever owe us any out-of-pocket fees or upfront fees. If we don’t obtain a recovery, you owe us nothing. We have years of experience in representing clergy sex abuse victims.
If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by a Mormon church member – including a missionary, Scoutmaster, elder or bishop, you may qualify to seek justice and obtain financial compensation. By coming forward now, you may encourage others to come forward as well.
Please call us today for a free, confidential consultation. Or, you can fill out this page’s free case evaluation form or text us from this page if you or a loved one were sexually abused or inappropriately touched by a Mormon church member.
Child Sex Abuse Covered up by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
The Mormon church, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been accused on multiple occasions of covering up sexual abuse allegations concerning its members.
By covering up sexual abuse, the Mormon church has allowed sexual abuse to occur, and this opens the church up to liability in sexual abuse lawsuits. If you or a loved one has been abused by a member of the LDS church, we can help you recover compensation from the LDS church for allowing your abuse to occur.
The Mormon church has been accused of covering up or downplaying sexual abuse, including cases involving:
John Goodrich
In 2023, the Associated Press reported on recordings which showed how the Mormon church protected itself from childhood sexual abuse claims.
According to the AP’s reporting, John Goodrich, a former Idaho Mormon church bishop, had been accused of routinely slipping into his teenage daughter’s bed while he was aroused.
Recordings of conversations between the daughter, her mother and Paul Rytting, a lawyer and the Risk Management Division leader for the church, revealed that:
- Goodrich had given a “spiritual confession” regarding his conduct to Michael Miller, a bishop with the church
- Miller would be discouraged by the church from testifying about this confession, citing a law exempting clergy from needing to testify about info regarding child sexual abuse obtained during confession
- Rytting offered the mother $300,000 in exchange for a nondisclosure agreement wherein the mother and daughter agreed to not use the daughter’s story to sue the church, to not acknowledge the settlement’s existence, and to destroy recordings of communications between the mother, daughter and Rytting
Goodrich was arrested in Virginia in January 2024 and is facing multiple child sex abuse charges.
Calvin James McGee
A team of predator hunters confronted McGee in 2022 regarding exchanges he had online with someone he thought was an 11-year-old girl. McGee allegedly admitted to initiating contact with the individual while on an LDS mission in Virginia, and admitted to making sexual requests and advances on the individual despite believing the individual to be 11 years old.
Once McGee returned home from the mission, he allegedly sexually abused an Idaho minor, and a family member of that victim allegedly said that multiple leaders in the LDS church failed to provide warnings to local church members regarding McGee.
A prison sentence was handed to McGee in May 2024.
Dylan Kevin Whiting
Whiting was a bishop in Nampa, Idaho who has been accused of sexually abusing multiple victims. A bishop and stake president in the LDS church allegedly attempted to cover up the abuse, and when this abuse got reported to the local press and ward members, the ward member who reported the abuse allegedly received threats of discipline.
Whiting received a felony sentence in January 2022, and was released from prison on parole in October 2022.
Stephen Ronald Young
Young may have sexually abused as many as twenty babies who were no older than 21 months old over a period of 30 years.
Up to 15 people were aware the LDS church member and Boise police officer confessed to molesting infants and cannot face criminal charges because of an Idaho law which does not mandate that church members report child sex abuse crimes which are confessed to in church.
According to reporting from the Idaho Statesman, a journal entry by Young’s wife states that a bishop “made a lot of calls” in order to keep Young out of jail.
A Boise police officer who also served on the church’s High Council was also allegedly asked to not be involved in a disciplinary hearing, seemingly regarding Young’s conduct, since, as a police officer, he was duty-bound to report crimes.
LaVar Madsen Withers
Withers was a member of the Mormon church in Idaho. At least 133 people, as young as 13, have accused Withers of sexual abuse, who served jail time in 1996 for misdemeanor battery.
Multiple women allegedly told Mormon bishops about abuse at the hands of Withers, with victims alleging that their requests for help were ignored by church officials, who sometimes actively discouraged them from seeking charges against Withers.
Withers died in 2005.
James Philip Schmidt
Schmidt, a scout leader and LDS church member, received convictions for lewd conduct with a minor in 1983 in Idaho and in 1996 in Maryland.
According to allegations in a 2017 lawsuit, the church ignored accusations that Schmidt had molested Boy Scouts during the ’70s and ’80s.
Kip E Later
In the 1980’s, Later, a scout leader and Mormon church member in Idaho, was accused of sexually abusing a child. He later allegedly admitted to a Boy Scouts executive that he had been caught on two other occasions, and had received counseling from religious leaders about it.
Bradley Grant Stowell
Stowell, a scout leader and LDS church member in Idaho, pleaded guilty to the molestation of two boys and received a sentence of 150 days in prison.
After admitting to an LDS bishop in 1988 that he molested a six-year-old, Stowell was allegedly sent to Mormon church social services to receive counseling, and was then re-hired by the same camp in 1989, where he was arrested for child sex abuse in 1997. The bishop he admitted the molestation to, after he received counseling, allegedly said Stowell was cured.
Sidney L Spencer
Spencer, a scout leader and LDS church member in Idaho, was convicted of child sex abuse in 1984. After and despite this conviction, he applied to be a scout leader, and his application was allegedy approved by a Mormon bishop.
William Anthon Jansen
Jansen, a Mormon church member in Idaho, pleaded guilty to sexual abusing a minor while she was seven to nine years old. His ex-wife allegedly told detectives that he had told his bishop that he had inappropriately touched juveniles.
Steve Nelson
Nelson, an Idaho LDS church member, pleaded guilty to lewd conduct in 2009 and received a 30-year prison sentence.
Nelson, in the 1980s, allegedly confessed to child molestation to Mormon officials, who learned about this crime from its victim but failed to report it. Then, in 2009, according to court records, Nelson was caught molesting a three-year-old.
Douglas Ray Bowen
Bowen, a Boy Scout leader and LDS church member in Idaho, was convicted of attempting to sexually abuse a child in 1997.
Mark A Swanson
Swanson, a scout leader and LDS church member in Idaho, was allegedly accused of sexual abuse, but despite this accusation, a bishop allegedly recommended him for a position as scout leader, feeling Bishop was “completely rehabilitated.”
Who Is Eligible to File a Child Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against the Mormon Church?
LDS church sexual abuse has allegedly happened in numerous settings, such as:
- The Indian Placement Program
- Scouting programs
- Activities, missions, trips or events sponsored by the LDS church
- Youth programs and camps
- Adoption or foster care programs
Any victims of sexual abuse have the legal right to file a civil lawsuit, and are entitled to being financially compensated if they are capable of proving their case’s allegations.
To successfully sue the Mormon church in a sex abuse case, victims will need to prove that they were sexually abused by a church member, or at church, or at a church function, and that negligence occurred on behalf of the church in connection with the abuse, such as church officials knowing about the abuse but choosing to cover it up or not do anything about it rather than reporting it to law enforcement.
At Nadrich Law Corporation, we have a commitment to seeking justice for child sex abuse survivors and their families. The civil claims we file focus upon holding the Mormon church financially accountable for damages. You might still have a valid claim even if:
- The person who abused you is dead
- The person who abused you was never convicted or charged with any crime
Compensation Available In A Lawsuit Against The Mormon Church
Sexual abuse may lead to numerous detrimental effects upon the emotional health and life of victims. Sexual violence can lead to physical, emotional and psychological effects which can’t always easily be dealt with. Victims may need extensive resources and support.
In your sexual abuse claim, you may recover damages similar to damages recovered in other personal injury lawsuits. This may include compensation for economic and non-economic damages. You may also be able to recover punitive damages in addition to recovering compensatory damages. If it can be proven that the LDS church behaved in an outrageous, malicious, fraudulent or oppressive manner by failing to report abuse or protecting an abuser, you may be able to recover punitive damages in Idaho.
Economic damages which you may recover compensation for include:
- Medical bills
- Lost income
- Psychological counseling
In a sexual abuse case, you may receive substantial non-economic awards, particularly if your abuse had a long-term effect on your career or private life. Non-economic damages you may be able to recover include:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Reduction of quality of life
- Emotional anguish
Non-economic awards should accurately compensate for emotional scars inflicted by sexual abuse. Some victims experience anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or an ability to form relationships which are long-lasting. Victims deserve to be compensated for these consequences of abuse.
We will obtain for you the maximum compensation.
Idaho Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Statute of Limitations
In Idaho, there is a statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims. A statute of limitations is a time limit within which a lawsuit must be filed. Idaho’s statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases has an age 23 cap. However, there is a five-year discovery rule as well. This means that victims have five years to file a lawsuit from the date where they recalled their abuse as well as it’s causal relationship to a condition or injury they suffered.
If you are unsure if you are eligible to file a lawsuit, call us today and we will tell you.
LDS Sexual Abuse Lawsuit – We Can Help
Our lawyers have extensive experience with child sexual abuse cases. We have been representing sexual abuse victims for over 30 years and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of our clients.
If you or a loved one is a sexual abuse survivor, we invite you to work with our compassionate, committed legal team to seek justice as well as start on your path to recovery. Our legal team will listen to your story with compassion and explain to you your legal options. Our team is sensitive, trauma-informed and recognizes how strong one needs to be to report abuse, and we commend you for the sharing of your story. Together, we can illuminate the truth, effect change, and end up empowering others to report abuse.
As more and more survivors of abuse speak up, fewer organizations and institutions will be able to continue to hide sexual abuse. While it can be difficult to heal from abuse, our legal team believes that compensation can give victims some degree of closure, and we would feel privileged to help you fight for justice.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one is a victim of sexual abuse connected to the Mormon church. Remember: we won’t charge any fee until and unless we win your case.
