Judge limits privilege defense in AZ Mormon sex abuse case

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Judge limits privilege defense in AZ Mormon sex abuse case

By MICHAEL REZENDES
August 18, 2022

An Arizona judge overseeing a high-profile lawsuit accusing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of conspiring to cover-up child sex abuse has ruled that the church may not refuse to answer questions or turn over documents under the state’s “clergy-penitent privilege.”

Clergy in Arizona, as in many other states, are required to report information about child sexual abuse or neglect to law enforcement or child welfare authorities. But an exception to that law — the privilege — allows members of the clergy who learn of the abuse through spiritual confessions to keep the information secret.

Judge Laura Cardinal ruled on Aug. 8 that the late Paul Adams waived his right to keep his confessions secret when he posted videos of himself sexually abusing his two daughters on the Internet, boasted of the abuse on social media, and confessed to federal law enforcement agents, who arrested him in 2017 with no help from the church.

“Taken together, Adams’ overt acts demonstrate a lack of repentance and a profound disregard” for the principles of the church, widely known as the Mormon church, Cardinal said in her ruling. “His acts can only be characterized as a waiver of the clergy-penitent privilege.”

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/religion-social-media-lawsuits-arizona-25231a4c668e2e69ae45df484096f7b7

[2naSalit]

1. Hell of a religion they've got there.

[marble falls]

2. Sex deviants hold to no particular faith system, race, culture, except it's a male perpetrator ...

... usually.

Don't judge Mormons on just some news reports.

[demosincebirth]

3. Really?

[2naSalit]

4. Actually...

I've lived among them for decades where they control everything including the state and local governments and the universities. Most of what I think about them I wouldn't post online but I will agree with much of the criticism about sexual deviants because I've seen too much of it in that group, it's kind of what they're all about no matter what they tell nonbelievers.