Articles on Mormonism

A lawsuit was filed in West Virginia against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for $750 million on 16 January 1996. The action was filed by attorney Michael G. Sullivan on behalf of an 11 year old girl who was physically and sexually abused by her Mormon father, James F. Adams.

Adams is alleged to have begun the abuse after his 1988 divorce and that the abuse continued for six years. A babysitter discovered Adam's mistreatment of his two children in 1989 and threatened to go to authorities. Adams confided to his father, who was a bishop in the local Berkley ward, that he was abusing his children. He then confessed to high ranking church officials and to his supervisor at work, Raleigh General Hospital, also a Mormon. Under West Virginia law, clergy and health care workers are required to report suspected cases of physical and sexual abuse. No reports were filed.

LDS officials are accused of failure to report abuse and neglecting to secure the safety of the children. The suit states that LDS church discipline mandates that a member who is determined to be guilty of such acts should be excommunicated. The suit further states that Adams was not disciplined but was made an elder and permitted to remarry in the Washington D. C. temple.

In 1994, James F. Adams pled guilty to 37 counts of child abuse and was sentenced to 75 to 185 years in prison.