Paul Douglas Adams

Sources

1. Leizza Alcantara Adams, FLOODLIT, December 5, 2023.
2. Seven years of sex abuse: How Mormon officials let it happen, Associated Press, August 4, 2022.
3. Utah lawmaker told Mormon bishop not to report child sex abuse, docs show, Associated Press, September 10, 2022.
4. Sex-abuse video victimizes child long after abuser is gone, Associated Press, December 22, 2022.
5. Bisbee church at center of sexual abuse claim, KVOA, November 30, 2020.
6. Judge Recuses Self From Lawsuit Against LDS Church, Failed To Disclose Membership, Arizona Daily Independent, July 16, 2021.
7. Video: Sex abuse video spreads after Mormon church inaction (5m 39s), CBS News, December 23, 2023.
8. 4 takeaways from AP’s Mormon church sex abuse investigation, Denver Post, August 4, 2022.
9. Presentence Hearing and Sentencing - Bisbee, Arizona - CR-201700425 - 247-page PDF, Mormonleaks, August 13, 2018.
10. TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS MITIGATION HEARING and SENTENCING - PART ONE - 117-page PDF, Mormonleaks, June 7, 2018.
11. 139. How the Helpline Actually Works — A Conversation with Kate Taylor Lauck episode / season 1, Patheos (Faith Matters Podcast), November 13, 2022.
12. Failure to Report Sexual Abuse—Bisbee, Arizona, Mormonr, January 6, 2023.
13. Suit against LDS church for not reporting sex abuse can go forward, Arizona Republic, July 30, 2025.

• 1. Leizza Alcantara Adams

  • 20231205
  • News article
  • FLOODLIT

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• 2. Seven years of sex abuse: How Mormon officials let it happen

  • 20220804
  • News article
  • Associated Press

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  "MJ was a tiny, black-haired girl, just 5 years old, when her father admitted to his bishop that he was sexually abusing her.

  "The father, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an admitted pornography addict, was in counseling with his bishop when he revealed the abuse. The bishop, who was also a family physician, followed church policy and called what church officials have dubbed the “help line” for guidance.

  "But the call offered little help for MJ. Lawyers for the church, widely known as the Mormon church, who staff the help line around the clock told Bishop John Herrod not to call police or child welfare officials. Instead he kept the abuse secret."

• 3. Utah lawmaker told Mormon bishop not to report child sex abuse, docs show

  • 20220910
  • News article
  • Associated Press

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  A Utah lawmaker and prominent attorney for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints advised a church bishop not to report a confession of child sex abuse to authorities, a decision that allowed the abuse to continue for years, according to records filed in a lawsuit.

  The records — two pages from a log of calls fielded by a law firm representing the church and the deposition of a church official — show that Utah Republican State Rep. Merrill F. Nelson took the initial call from a bishop reporting that church member Paul Adams had sexually abused his daughters. Nelson also had multiple conversations over a two-year span with two bishops who knew of the abuse, the records show.

  Nelson is a conservative lawmaker who was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2013 and announced his retirement earlier this year. He was also a lawyer with the Salt Lake City firm Kirton McConkie, which represents the church. He earned his undergraduate and law degree from church-owned Brigham Young University.

  A transcript of the deposition and excerpts of the call log were attached to a legal filing in the Arizona Court of Appeals made by lawyers for the plaintiffs. Three of Adams’s children are battling the church, widely known as the Mormon church, for access to records the church insists are confidential. The church took the case to the Court of Appeals after a Cochise County judge ruled in favor of the victims.

  According to the plaintiff’s legal filing, Nelson advised Bishop John Herrod not to report the abuse and told him “that he could be sued if he reported, and the instruction by counsel not to report Paul to the authorities was the law in Arizona and had nothing to do with Church doctrine.” But Arizona’s child sex abuse reporting law grants blanket legal immunity to anyone reporting child sex abuse or neglect.

  The AP reported in August that Adams confessed to Herrod in 2010 that he sexually abused his daughter, identified as MJ.

  The church’s lawyers have said Herrod, and later bishop Robert “Kim” Mauzy, legally withheld information about MJ’s abuse under the state’s clergy-penitent privilege. Arizona law generally requires clergy members to report child neglect and sexual abuse but allows them to withhold information obtained during a spiritual confession.

  The log of calls filed in the Arizona Court of Appeals shows that Nelson spoke with Herrod and Mauzy multiple times from November of 2011 to February of 2014, a period during which Adams was excommunicated. Mauzy presided over a 2013 church disciplinary process after which Adams was expelled.

  Although the log doesn’t detail the subject of those communications, Roger Van Komen, manager of the church’s southeast region family services department, said in a deposition also included with the filing that Nelson discussed the case with Herrod.

  The 2021 lawsuit alleges the church conspired to cover up Adam’s sexual crimes. The one-time U.S. Border Patrol employee repeatedly raped M.J. and eventually her younger sister at their Arizona home over a period of seven years and posted videos of the abuse on the Internet.

  During an interview with the AP before the new court records were filed, Nelson defended the church’s actions in the Adams case and the clergy-penitent privilege. He said the church “abuse help line” that Herrod had called for advice was designed to protect children.

  “I don’t have all the facts, but it seems to me like it did operate as intended,” he said. “The bishop called the help line and was advised no duty to report it to civil authorities. In fact, could not report because of the clergy privilege,” Nelson said.

  “It is intended and always has from the beginning been intended to to help victims get the help they need through social services, professional counseling, medical help, legal help, law enforcement,” Nelson said.

  Contacted after the new records were made public, Nelson declined further comment and asked that his previous comments be off the record. “I offer no comment on specific cases,” he said.

  As a lawmaker, Nelson is a genteel but deeply socially conservative, speaking out against repealing a law that banned sex outside of marriage in 2019 and unsuccessfully pushing to block changes to gender markers on birth certificates. This year, he opposed a plan to remove a marriage requirement for surrogacy arrangements.

  He also has opposed legislation that would do away with the clergy-penitent privilege. “Without that assurance of secrecy, troubled people will not confide in their clergy. Secrecy is essential to the privilege,” he said. “It encourages full disclosure without fear of unauthorized disclosure.”

  A spokesman for the church declined to comment on the plaintiff’s filing.

  The church established the help line in 1995 and requires bishops and other church leaders to call it before deciding whether to report the abuse to police or child welfare officials.

  According to church documents, those answering the help line refer callers to church attorneys with Kirton McConkie if the allegations of abuse are serious. The attorneys then decide whether the callers should report the abuse.

  Nelson, who was a shareholder at Kirton McConkie, took Herrod’s first call to the help line reporting Adams’s abuse, according to Van Komen’s deposition. Nelson told The AP he retired from the firm, though he remains listed on its website as a member of its First Amendment and Religious Organizations section.

  The AP investigation published in August found that the help line is part of a system that can easily be misused by church leaders to divert abuse accusations away from law enforcement and instead to church attorneys who may bury the problem, leaving victims in harm’s way.

  The AP’s findings were based in part on 12,000 pages of sealed records in an unrelated child abuse suit against the church filed in West Virginia. Many of the documents describe the operation of the help line, which includes destroying all records at the end of each day

  The sealed records included a list of questions that those answering the help line were to ask before referring calls to Kirton McConkie attorneys. The so-called “protocol” listed the names of several Kirton McConkie attorneys and their phone numbers, including Nelson’s.

  Until now, the church has said that all communications between Herrod and Mauzy and church attorneys are confidential under the attorney-client privilege. But the newly filed log provides some details of Nelson’s conversations with the two bishops.

  For instance, the log shows that Nelson wrote an “initial case summary” on Nov. 7, 2011 “based on a conversation” with Herrod. The log also notes a “description of legal advice,” and notes additional communications with the bishop.

  Federal officials arrested Adams in 2017, four years after he was excommunicated, finally stopping the abuse of MJ and her sister, with no help from the church.

  Adams died by suicide in custody before he could stand trial. His wife, Leizza Adams, served more than two years in state prison on child sex abuse charges. Three of their six children, including a boy who was allegedly abused, filed the lawsuit accusing the church of negligence for not reporting their abuse, and for engaging in a wider conspiracy to cover up child sex abuse.

  Attorneys for the three children declined to comment on the log and their most recent court filing. In their 2021 lawsuit they referred to Kirton McConkie while accusing the church of directing a system designed to protect the church against potentially costly sexual abuse lawsuits.

  “The Mormon Church implements the Helpline not for the protection and spiritual counseling of sexual abuse victims, as professed in Mormon church doctrine and literature, but for Kirton McConkie attorneys to snuff out complaints and protect the Mormon church from costly lawsuits,” the lawsuit says.

• 4. Sex-abuse video victimizes child long after abuser is gone

  • 20221222
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  • Associated Press

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  "Six years before the video surfaced in Auckland, Adams, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, confessed to his bishop that he abused his daughter, identified by the AP as MJ.

  "But a prominent church lawyer told the bishop to keep the abuse secret. And as a result, MJ was brutalized for seven more years. Today, she continues to be victimized almost daily in a different way, as the video, and others Adams took, circulate on the internet. Details of the Mormon officials’ cover-up of the Adams rapes were reported in an AP investigation in August.

  [...]

  "Lynne Cadigan, one of several attorneys representing three of the Adams children, said MJ will seek compensation from the child pornographers.

  "But she and Salminen, the girl’s adoptive mother, lay most of the blame for the sexual abuse on officials of the Mormon church, who knew Adams molested MJ as early as 2010 and did nothing to stop it.

  [...]

  "Attorneys for the church say the bishops who knew that Adams abused his daughter — John Herrod and Robert “Kim” Mauzy — did nothing wrong by taking a lawyer’s advice and withholding the information because Adams told Herrod about the abuse during a spiritual confession, triggering the privilege.

  "In a statement to the AP, the church said it had no knowledge Adams was recording himself abusing his two daughters and posting the material on the internet until 2017. “The Church had no idea that these videos were being created or circulated until after Paul Adams was arrested,” the statement read. “The church supports all efforts to prosecute anyone who possesses or distributes these heinous and disturbing videos.”"

• 5. Bisbee church at center of sexual abuse claim

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  • KVOA

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  BISBEE, Ariz. (KVOA) - Disturbing details coming to light in the case of three Bisbee children physically and sexually abused by their father.

  Their mother, was aware but didn’t stop it.

  Now, we learn the children's father confided in two leaders of his church over seven years admitting his sins.

  Sins a Tucson lawyer said those leaders kept secret within their church hierarchy.

  However, the church said its bishops were prohibited from reporting to law enforcement under Arizona law.

  A 24-page civil complaint was filed in Cochise County against members of a Bisbee church. It accused them of not protecting three of their youngest members.

  "It's the most shocking case I've ever seen in my 35 years of sex abuse cases," says Tucson attorney, Lynne Cadigan.

  Cadigan is no stranger to sex abuse cases. She's represented victims for years but said that this case is different.

  "I represent three victims in a sex abuse case against the Mormon church, the LDS church, and the bishops for failing to report what they knew was going on," states Cadigan.

  In 2017, Leizza and Paul Douglas Adams of Bisbee were indicted on 27 counts of multiple charges involving sex crimes against children.

  The victims were three of their kids.

  Paul Douglas Adams was a border patrol agent. He committed suicide inside a jail cell before he could stand trial.

  In 2018, Leizza pleaded no contest to two counts of child abuse endangerment. She was sentenced to two years in prison she was just released last month.

  The children, now with new families are battling the effects of long-term abuse.

  Lynne Cadigan said leaders within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bisbee could have stopped it if they had just called police.

  "The shocking thing about this is the church knew that these girls were being sexually abused and the subject of pornographic videos at least one of them," said Cadigan.

  The church said it did everything it could under Arizona law and even ex-communicated Adams.

  According to court documents, it all started a decade ago when Adams confessed to his bishop that he was sexually abusing his young daughter and putting videos of the acts on the internet.

  The bishop, years later in police interviews said that he followed church policy and Arizona law and provided counseling to Adams, and included Leizza in the sessions.

  The next bishop to head the Bisbee church said he did the same thing.

  "And they sat next to these girls at church they taught them Sunday school, they gave them moral advice, they talked to them about God, yet they did nothing to stop the rapes, nothing," states Lynne Cadigan.

  Clergy in Arizona are mandatory reporters for child abuse, with one significant exception called clergy privilege. Clergy privilege is when clergy learn about the abuse in a confidential form of communication.

  According to Cadigan, the Mormon church said that this is how they learned about the abuse in the Adams case and believe it didn't have to be reported.

  "I frankly think that's an absurd position when you weigh the right of a child to be free from rape versus the right of a church to keep a crime a secret. Clearly, the child's safety wins out," states Cadigan.

  The recently-filed complaint states that both bishops reported the abuse not to law enforcement but to the Mormon church helpline.

  When interviewed by the Department of Homeland Security, the first bishop stated that he was advised in the helpline call. "...that he needs to continue counseling sessions, and that there's no duty to report to authorities due to the clergy-penitent privilege."

  So, he didn't call police.

  The next bishop to run the Bisbee church also called the helpline according to the complaint, "…was also advised that the clergy-penitent privilege and church doctrine prohibited him from reporting the abuse."

  The church sent us this statement.

  "The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no tolerance for abuse of any kind. Our hearts ache for all survivors of abuse and go out to the victims in this case. This tragic abuse was perpetrated by the young victims' own father who died of suicide in jail while awaiting trial. As clergy, the bishop was required by Arizona law to maintain the confidentiality of the father's limited confession. Notwithstanding, the bishop took the few details he had and made efforts to protect the children, primarily through the mother. The bishop urged the family to report the abuse or give him consent to do so, but they refused. The bishop also convened a church disciplinary council and condemned the limited conduct he knew of in the strongest terms by excommunicating Mr. Adams from the church in 2013. It was not until law enforcement made an arrest of the father that the bishop learned of the scope and magnitude of the abuse that far exceeded anything he had heard or suspected. The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its clergy worked to handle this matter appropriately consistent with Arizona law. It has also tried to assist the victims and remains willing to commit significant resources to aid and assist these children. The church will continue to offer assistance to these young victims." The statement is from Sam Penrod Media relations manager, Church Communication Department

  Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre disagrees, "it's been presented to your news agency that the statute prohibits disclosure, which is just not true. The statute provides a limited exception or times when disclosure is not necessary, based on certain bonified religious principles, but it is not both a sword and a shield." He added the criminal investigation is far from over, "these are class six felonies the statute of limitations is seven years from discovery or when we should have discovered the conduct and I realize it taking three years but no, no one is letting this go. The damage inflicted on these children was very significant and we intend to see it through."

  Meantime, Cadigan says she plans to hold the bishops and the church hierarchy accountable in civil court.

  "These bishops were told to keep this a secret for seven years. I don't know how you can look a child in the eyes and tell them to love God and Jesus, know they are being raped, and do nothing," she said. Cadigan added she filed the complaint in an effort to force policy changes within the church when it comes to mandatory reporting.

  The News 4 Tucson Investigators learned that the father was excommunicated from the church three years after he first confided his crime to one of the bishops.

  Below is the claim that was filed at the Cochise County Courthouse by Lynne Cadigan.

  Jane-Doe-1-v-Mormon-Church-1

• 6. Judge Recuses Self From Lawsuit Against LDS Church, Failed To Disclose Membership

  • 20210716
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  • Arizona Daily Independent

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  A Cochise County judge has removed himself from presiding over a multimillion dollar child molestation lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) after the defendants raised concerns with the fact the judge is on the Church’s roll.

  “I regret not being more open given the sensitivities of this case in regard to my history with the Church,” Judge Jason Lindstrom told the parties during a July 9 hearing on the matter. “I don’t tend to believe that it will cause me personal bias but there is no way for any of you to know that. And the appearance [of a conflict] is absolutely there 100 percent.”

  According to the change of judge motion, Church attorneys became concerned after a June 28 hearing that Lindstrom seemed to display personal knowledge of the Church which the defendants believed was gained from a source independent of this case.

  “Judge Lindstrom’s comments in the hearing about his personal knowledge caused the Church and the Defendants in this case to investigate further his prior involvement in the Church, and specifically in its Bisbee Ward,” the motion filed July 8 states. “That further investigation raises serious questions concerning Judge Lindstrom’s ability, consistent with applicable legal standards, to remain as the judge on this case.”

  The lawsuit against the LDS Church and several of its members involves the emotional, physical, and sexual abuse suffered by three children of Paul Douglas Adams, a U.S. Border Patrol agent who admitted his ongoing criminal conduct to at least one, if not two, bishops of the Bisbee Ward prior to Adams’ suicide in December 2017.

  Lindstrom was previously a member of that Ward and has a close family member who was active in the Bisbee Ward during the years the children were abused. He later joined the Sierra Vista Ward, but did not mention his Church affiliation over the several months the case had been assigned to him.

  The Church defendants, which include former Bisbee Ward bishops Dr. John Herrod and R. Kim Mauzy, wanted the case out of Lindstrom’s courtroom because of concerns they “cannot obtain a fair and impartial trial” with Lindstrom on the bench. The motion also raised concern that Lindstrom’s mother-in-law could be a potential witness due to her service with the Bisbee Ward’s Relief Society.

  “The applicable rules do not require Defendants to demonstrate actual bias or Prejudice,” the motion stated.

  In his comments, Lindstrom acknowledged the appearance of an impropriety and potential for a conflict, but noted that Cochise County is small, and that he often had to prosecute people he went to school with or was one person removed from.

  “The Court does understand that my tolerance for conflict is probably higher than most people,” he said.

  Lindstrom them recused himself and the case has been reassigned to Terry Bannon, another Cochise County judge. It will be up to Bannon to rule on a matter that Lindstrom was supposed to have heard arguments about on July 9.

  That issue involves whether attorneys for the Adams children can have access to the employment records of Shaunice Warr, a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was assigned through the LDS Bisbee Ward’s Relief Society to spend time with Leizza Adams, the children’s mother.

  Warr testified in the child abuse prosecution against Leizza Adams about concerns with how her co-worker Paul Douglas Adams treated his wife and children. She also gave a statement to agents with Homeland Security Investigations about her experiences with the family.

  The children’s lawsuit alleges Warr had a legal obligation as a sworn law enforcement officer to report her concerns to child welfare officials or the police. Attorneys for the children want to see what Warr may have told her supervisors or others within USBP about the Adams household.

  Another issue which Bannon will have to rule on in the coming weeks is the disclosure during the June 28 hearing that the Cochise County Attorney’s Office has served a subpoena on the children’s attorneys in an effort to obtain documents about the Church’s response to the Adams’ admission that he was sexually abusing his children.

  For more than three years Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre has considered whether to prosecute Herrod and Mauzy for violation of Arizona’s mandatory reporter law. However, the subpoena reportedly refers to an ongoing criminal investigation of the Church itself.

  Among the lawsuit documents which could potentially be turned over to the county attorney is several documents related to a West Virginia lawsuit against the Church which may have been shared with the children’s attorneys in violation of a West Virginia Supreme Court order.

  The parties are waiting on Bannon to set a review hearing so the pending procedural issues can be decided.

• 7. Video: Sex abuse video spreads after Mormon church inaction (5m 39s)

  • 20231223
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  • CBS News

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• 8. 4 takeaways from AP’s Mormon church sex abuse investigation

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  • Denver Post

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  When an Arizona bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, learned that a member of his ward was sexually assaulting his 5-year-old daughter, he followed church policy and called the Mormon Abuse Help Line.

  The bishop later told law enforcement that church attorneys in Salt Lake City who staff the help line around the clock said that because he learned of the abuse during a counseling session the church considers a spiritual confession, he was legally bound to keep the abuse secret.

  Paul Douglas Adams, a U.S. Border Patrol employee living with his wife and six children in Bisbee, Arizona, continued abusing his daughter for as many as seven more years, and went on to abuse a second daughter. He finally stopped in 2017 with no help from the church only because he was arrested.

  The Associated Press obtained thousands of pages of sealed court documents that show in detail exactly how the church’s “help line” can divert abuse complaints away from law enforcement, leaving children in danger.

  Takeaways from the AP’s investigation:
  THE CLERGY-PENITENT PRIVILEGE

  The seven years of secrecy in the Adams case began when church attorneys in Salt Lake City advised Bishop John Herrod and later Bishop Robert “Kim” Mauzy they were exempt from reporting requirements under the state’s child abuse reporting law because of the law’s so-called clergy-penitent privilege.

  “You absolutely can do nothing,” Herrod said he was told during an interview with federal investigators.

  Arizona’s child sex abuse reporting law, and similar laws in more than 20 states, says clergy, physicians, nurses, or anyone caring for a child who “reasonably believes” the child has been abused or neglected has a legal obligation to report the information to police or the state Department of Child Safety. But it also says that clergy who receive information about child neglect or sexual abuse during spiritual confessions “may withhold” that information from authorities if the clergy determine it is “reasonable and necessary” under church doctrine.

  An Arizona attorney who is defending the bishops and the church in a lawsuit filed by three of the Adams children, told the AP that Herrod and Mauzy — and by extension the church — were acting within the law and in accordance with their “religious principles.”

  “These bishops did nothing wrong. They didn’t violate the law, and therefore they can’t be held liable,” said William Maledon. He also called the Adams children’s lawsuit “a money grab.”
  THE HELP LINE

  The Associated Press obtained nearly 12,000 pages of sealed records from an unrelated child sex abuse lawsuit against the Mormon church in West Virginia, which show that the help line is part of a system that can easily be misused by church leaders to divert abuse accusations against church members away from law enforcement and instead to church attorneys, who may bury the problem, leaving victims in harm’s way.

  It was established in 1995 when legal claims of sex abuse against churches were on the rise.

  Officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in sworn statements included in the sealed records that the help line is staffed by social workers who destroy records of all calls at the close of each day.

  When the social workers receive calls about abuse that may present a risk to the church — such as abuse committed by prominent church members, abuse perpetrated during church activities, or especially egregious instances of abuse — the calls are referred to attorneys with the Salt Lake City law firm Kirton McConkie. The church maintains that all calls referred to the attorneys are protected by attorney-client privilege, leaving no record of the accusations accessible to prosecutors or victims’ attorneys.

  The lawsuit filed by the Adams children alleges: “The Mormon Church implements the Helpline not for the protection and spiritual counseling of sexual abuse victims…but for (church) attorneys to snuff out complaints and protect the Mormon Church from potentially costly lawsuits.”
  THE SURVIVORS

  Miranda and Matthew Whitworth adopted the Adams’ younger daughter when she was just 2 years old. Miranda said when they met, the toddler wrapped her arms and legs around her head, buried her face in her neck, and refused to look up to say good-bye to her mother’s family.

  “It was the craziest thing,” Miranda Whitworth said. “It was like when you see a baby monkey or baby gorilla cling to their mother, and they just won’t let go.”

  The couple said they joined the lawsuit to push the church to change its policy so that any instance of child sexual abuse is immediately reported to civil authorities. “We just don’t understand why they’re paying all these lawyers to fight this,” Matthew Whitworth said. “Just change the policy.

  Nancy Salminen, a special needs teacher in public schools, adopted the older Adams daughter, MJ, after providing her with foster care when she was 12 years old. Today, MJ is a bubbly 16-year-old who plays in her high school band and proudly dons a crisp new uniform for her job as a fast-food restaurant.

  “She had every excuse to fail and to just fold into herself and run away,” Salminen said. “But instead, she came back stronger than anyone I’ve ever known.”
  THE UPSHOT

  Paul Adams died by suicide in jail before he could stand trial on federal child pornography charges and state child sex abuse charges.

  Leizza Adams pleaded no contest to two counts of child abuse and served two-and-a-half years in state prison.

  Judge Wallace Hoggatt called the abuse endured by MJ and her younger sister “one of the most horrendous cases of child molestation” he had ever encountered.

  Today, the lawsuit filed by the Adams children in Cochise County Superior Court, as well as a criminal investigation by the Cochise County attorney, continue to unfold.

  “I just think that the Mormon church really sucks. Seriously sucks,” MJ told the AP. “They are just the worst type of people, from what I’ve experienced and what other people have experienced.”

  ___

  Associated Press editor Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City and news researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this report.

  To contact the AP’s investigations team, email investigative@ap.org.

  ___

  Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

• 9. Presentence Hearing and Sentencing - Bisbee, Arizona - CR-201700425 - 247-page PDF

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  • Mormonleaks

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• 10. TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS MITIGATION HEARING and SENTENCING - PART ONE - 117-page PDF

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• 11. 139. How the Helpline Actually Works — A Conversation with Kate Taylor Lauck episode / season 1

  • 20221113
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  • Patheos (Faith Matters Podcast)

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  *This episode discusses the topic of sexual abuse, and in particular, the recent sexual abuse case in Arizona that was covered by the Associated Press and widely shared and discussed in mainstream/social media. Please use discretion in determining whether or not this is a suitable episode for you or for anyone listening in.*

  As most of you know, in August of this year, the AP released an article that chronicled a case of sexual abuse, perpetrated by a member of the Church and, in at least in one instance in 2011, disclosed by the perpetrator to a bishop. The abuse continued for many years, with legal authorities only finding out — through other channels — and arresting the perpetrator in 2017.

  When the article came out, we were, of course, disturbed and upset. We knew that we’d want to address the topic somehow, but didn’t want it to be a “hot take.” We decided to wait until we felt we had something truly valuable to add to the conversation, and when we were introduced to our guest, Kate Taylor Lauck, we knew that she would do just that.

  Kate is a remarkable person and an investigative attorney who specializes in child abuse. She holds a master’s degree in national security strategies from the U.S. Naval War College and graduated cum laude from Georgetown Law in 2017. She’s worked on the Church’s help line as an attorney at Kirton McConkie and is also, herself, a survivor of sexual abuse.

  In the conversation with Kate, we talked through some of the AP article itself, but spent quite a bit of time covering the help line and its processes. She shared with us what it was like to work there, and what she felt the driving motivation was on her team at Kirton McConkie, and at the Church broadly, when it comes to abuse. Kate also shared incredibly helpful information with us about what we can do, as Church and community members, to help prevent abuse.

  Though of course we’re unable to adjudicate the details of the Arizona case — and we do think that it’s a tragedy that abuse was allowed to go on for many years when it didn’t need to — we felt it was important to address article’s implicit claims: that the Church’s help line’s primary purpose is to protect the Church against liability, regardless of what happens to victims.

  It’s never been Faith Matters’ objective to participate in apologetics — we’ve always believed that the truth, regardless of how hard it may be to hear, is the key to finding healing and peace. That said, we believe few people could address this as well as Kate could. We’ve found her to be incredibly courageous and honest, and we’re proud to call her a friend.

  We know that as with any topic of this importance and difficulty, every word and sentence we say has the potential to hurt someone, and we’re sure that we didn’t do this perfectly. As we’ve done in the past, we’re asking for grace and the benefit of the doubt. More than anything, we hope that this effort can further good faith efforts of everyone — Church members, Church leaders, and other members of our communities, to help prevent the tragedy of child sexual abuse.

• 12. Failure to Report Sexual Abuse—Bisbee, Arizona

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  < Back to Questions and Answers Failure to Report Sexual Abuse—Bisbee, Arizona 60 Primary Sources Date Summary Source Hearsay 2010 Justia Law reprint of the 2010 Arizona Revised Statute related to clergyman or priest testimony. Justia Law Direct Reprint 2010 Justia Law reprint of the 2010 Arizona Revised Statute related to duty to report abuse and the clergy exception. Justia Law Direct Reprint 2010 2010 policies on dealing with child abuse for bishops. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Direct 2014 University of Michigan researchers find that mandatory reporting is correlated with lower rates of confirmed reports. Frank E. Vandervort Direct May 2017 2017 Johns Hopkins School of Nursing study concludes that universal mandatory reporting is correlated with lower confirmed reports of abuse. Grace W. K. Ho Direct Aug 2017 Church manual lays out policy on preventing and responding to abuse. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Direct Mar 26, 2018 Tad Walch in Deseret News reports on Church explicitly allowing others to sit in on Bishop interviews. Tad Walch Scribed Verbatim Jun 7, 2018 June 7, 2018 trial transcript of the proceedings of the State of Arizona vs. Leizza Adams on child abuse. Penny Nyander Direct Jun 7, 2018 Shaunice Warr offers testimony in the mitigation sentence hearing of Leizza Adams. Shaunice Warr Direct Jun 7, 2018 Detective Todd Borquez testifies that law enforcement never had any contact with the bishop in Bisbee in 2010. Todd Borquez Direct Jun 7, 2018 FBI Agent J Allen testifies about his interactions with Leizza Adams. J Allen Direct Aug 13, 2018 Judge Wallace R. Hoggatt sentences Leizza Adams to 2.5 years of incarceration and 4 years of probation. Wallace R. Hoggatt Direct Aug 13, 2018 Adam Alcantara, sister of Leizza Adams, testifies about Leizza Adams. Adam Alcantara Direct Aug 13, 2018 DHS Agent Robert Edwards testifies his interactions with bishop Herrod, Paul and Leizza Adams. Robert Edwards Direct Aug 13, 2018 August 13, 2018 trial transcript of Leizza Adams in Arizona Superior Court. Susan A. Auletta Direct 2020 General Handbook of the Church section on abuse. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Direct Apr 21, 2020 AZ Central reports the details of the Bisbee case including the bishop not reporting. Mary Jo Pitzl Journalism May 22, 2020 Arizona Daily Independent reports that John Herrod, former bishop of the Bisbee Ward, is involved in a lawsuit related to his medical practice due to reputational damage. Terri Jo Neff Direct Journalism Jun 5, 2020 2KUTV reports on a bishop that was excommunicated for abusing children. 2KUTV Scribed Verbatim Journalism Jun 8, 2020 First Presidency letter reaffirming safety guidelines for youth members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Direct Nov 2020 Legal response to civil complaint filed against the Church in the case of Bisbee, Arizona sexual abuse. Kirton McConkie, P.C. Direct Nov 2020 Cadigan Law Firm representing the Adams children file lawsuit against the Church et al. for failing to report sexual abuse. Lynne Cadigan Direct Nov 30, 2020 Sam Penrod of the Church Communications Department, makes statement about the Bisbee sexual abuse case. Sam Penrod Direct Journalism Nov 30, 2020 AZ Central reports that bishops knew about the repeated abuse of his children. Mary Jo Pitzl Journalism Jan 19, 2021 N4T Tuscon reports on the Bisbee, Arizona sexual abuse civil lawsuit against the Church, including a statement from Church attorney. Lupita Murillo Journalism May 25, 2021 Jane Doe sworn declaration that John Harrod was their bishop and their doctor and saw them as a patient. Jane Doe I Direct Jul 1, 2021 The U.S. Census estimates the population of Cochise county at 126,050 as of July 1, 2021. United States Census Bureau Direct Oct 26, 2021 First Amended Complaint of civil lawsuit against the Church, filed by Lynne Cadigan et al. Lynne Cadigan Direct Dec 1, 2021 Arizona Daily Independent reports that a secret grand jury investigation started early in 2021 related to the sexual abuse civil trial against the Church. Terri Jo Neff Direct Journalism 2022 Transcript of interview by Agent Robert Edwards with bishop Kim Mauzy. Robert Edwards Scribed Verbatim Direct 2022 Casetext prints the text of the Arizona law that regulates periods of grand jury term by county. Casetext Direct Reprint 2022 General Handbook of the Church section on Reports of Abuse and references to reporting to civil authorities, instructions for members, bishops and definitions of abuse. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Direct 2022 Church Newsroom overview guide on how the Church approaches abuse, including membership record annotation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Direct Feb 8, 2022 Sworn declaration of Bishop Robert Kim Mauzy stating that he excommunicated Paul Adams for reasons relating to what he learned in a disciplinary council in 2013. Robert Kim Mauzy Direct Feb 8, 2022 Sworn declaration of Bishop John Herrod stating he was only aware of a "one-time incident" of abuse. John Herrod Direct Feb 8, 2022 Motion for Summary Judgement for 2021 civil case against the Church over sexual abuse in Bisbee, Arizona. William Maledon Direct Feb 8, 2022 Transcription of audio recording of interview between Agent Robert Edwards and Bishop Herrod. Robert Edwards Direct Feb 16, 2022 Herald/Review Media reports that a closed grand jury investigation related to the Bisbee sexual abuse case against the Church convened in early 2021. Lyda Longa Direct Journalism May 18, 2022 Roger W. Van Komen, Church Helpline employee, states that Merrill F. Nelson handled the Bishop Herrod helpline call in the Bisbee, Arizona sexual abuse case. Roger W. Van Komen Scribed Verbatim Direct Aug 3, 2022 Michael Rezendes reports on the Bisbee sex abuse investigation. Michael Rezendes Direct Journalism Aug 4, 2022 Michael Rezendes reports on Bisbee sexual abuse case and notes he now has 12,000 pages from another case in his possession. Michael Rezendes Direct Journalism Aug 4, 2022 Sam Brunson states that the Church should push for mandatory reporters in every state. Sam Brunson Direct Aug 4, 2022 Christopher Cunningham discusses the complexities of mandatory reporting laws. Christopher Cunningham Direct Journalism Aug 5, 2022 Official statement from the Church responding to the AP story about the sexual abuse hotline. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Direct Aug 6, 2022 Kate Taylor Lauck, a sexual abuse survivor and attorney that worked for the Church abuse hotline shares her story. Kate Taylor Lauck Direct Journalism Aug 8, 2022 Associated Press video of transcript of portions of interview with John Herrod and DHS Agent Robert Edwards. John Herrod Direct Journalism Aug 8, 2022 Audio recording of John Herrod stating the Church help line told him he could not report sexual abuse. John Herrod Direct Aug 10, 2022 The WashPo Editorial Board releases statement in response to AP article about Bisbee bishops not reporting child abuse. The Washington Post Direct Journalism Aug 10, 2022 Jana Riess critiques the Church as not setting up the proper system for bishops to use when reporting child abuse. Jana Riess Direct Journalism Aug 10, 2022 D. Christian Harrison argues that mandatory reporting laws should expect to pastoral figures. D. Christian Harrison Direct Aug 17, 2022 The Church releases a second statement in 2022 condemning the abuse in Arizona and explaining how the AP misrepresented the helpline. Church Newsroom Direct Aug 18, 2022 Rezendes publishes AP article detailing that the judge will order the Church to release all "secret records" in Bisbee case. Michael Rezendes Journalism Aug 19, 2022 Tad Walch explores the complexities of the effectiveness of mandatory reporting laws. Tad Walch Direct Journalism Sep 8, 2022 AP News reports that Utah Republican State Rep. Merrill F. Nelson handled the Church helpline call for the Bisbee Sexual Abuse case. Michael Rezendes Journalism Sep 29, 2022 Deposition of bishop Robert Kim Mauzy in the Bisbee sexual abuse case. Superior Court of the State of Arizona In and For the County of Cochise Scribed Verbatim Direct Sep 29, 2022 Deposition of bishop Kim Mauzy where he states that Paul Adams was not a Melchizedek priesthood holder and did not hold a temple recommend. Robert Kim Mauzy Scribed Verbatim Direct Sep 29, 2022 Deposition of bishop Mauzy where he explains that Paul Adams was excommunicated, and his appeal to the Stake Presidency was unsuccessful. Robert Kim Mauzy Scribed Verbatim Direct Nov 3, 2023 Summary judgment dismisses the civil lawsuit against the Church in the Bisbee Arizona sexual abuse case. Superior Court of the State of Arizona In and For the County of Cochise Direct Nov 8, 2023 Arizona Capital Times reports that Cochise County Superior Court throws out lawsuit against the Church. Howard Fischer Journalism Jul 30, 2026 Arizona Supreme Court affirms the dismissal of civil claims against the Church and its bishops in the Bisbee child sexual abuse case. Arizona Supreme Court Direct About Us Contact Language TwitterMormonr on Twitter FacebookMormonr on Facebook InstagramMormonr on Instagram YoutubeMormonr on Youtube Copyright © by B.H. Roberts Foundation. Mormonr.org is not owned, operated, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• 13. Suit against LDS church for not reporting sex abuse can go forward

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  • Arizona Republic

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  In a unanimous decision, an Arizona appeals court reversed a Superior Court judge's ruling that said a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had no duty to report allegations of sexual abuse to law enforcement.

  The appeals court ruled that a civil suit against the church, filed by the victims of the father, can go forward, citing the unique circumstances of the father’s confession to his bishop.

  A spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said it intended to appeal the decision to the Arizona Supreme Court. That appeal would likely stay the proceedings.

  The father confessed to his bishop in 2011 that he had sexually abused one of his daughters, court documents show. The bishop then asked the man’s wife to join them, and the man told her he had abused their daughter, court documents show.

  The bishop encouraged the man to turn himself in, or alternatively have his wife turn him in, but the court record shows, he did not feel he could call the authorities himself.

  That bishop thought he couldn’t inform law enforcement because what the father told him was a confession, one of the statutory exemptions to the law that mandates certain people have a “duty to report” such abuse.

  The church excommunicated the father from the Mormon church in 2013, a process during which he discussed his actions at a hearing. Still, the documents show, no one from the church alerted police or the state’s child protection agency.

  Three of the father’s six children, two daughters and a son, filed a civil suit in 2020 against the church, saying it shouldered a share of blame for years of continued sexual abuse and exploitation.

  A judge in Cochise County ended that lawsuit in November 2023, granting summary judgment in favor of the church. The appeals court ruled on July 29 that the decision was erroneous.

  The three-judge panel ruled that when the father admitted the abuse to his wife, the bishop was merely observing the interaction, not taking a confession. The judges said that a jury might conclude that the exemption to the law did not apply in that circumstance.

  The panel also said that a juror might find that the father’s confession before the panel, considering his excommunication also wasn’t privileged. The judges, in their decision, said that non-clergy members were also part of that meeting.

  The judges also cited a portion of a handbook of Mormon church doctrine that says a bishop should disclose information to authorities to prevent life-threatening harm or serious injury. “In such cases, the duty to protect others is more important than the duty of confidentiality,” reads the handbook, as quoted in the judges’ decision.

  The decision ordered the judge in Cochise County to restart the civil lawsuit, allowing the victims to make arguments that the confession was not privileged.

  The church dedicates significant resources to combat abuse, a spokesperson for the LDS church said in an email.

  "In this tragic case involving abuse perpetrated by the children's father, the Church and its clergy acted in accordance with Arizona law," the statement read.

  A Tucson-based attorney for the victims, Lynne M. Cadigan, praised the decision.

  "This renews my faith in the justice system," Cadigan said.

  She said her clients have felt failed by their family, police and the church, and they were wondering if the courts would let them down as well.

  The father, Paul Adams, initially confessed in 2011 to abusing one daughter. But he went on to abuse his other two children, court records show.

  The abuse continued until February 2017, when police arrested him after finding a video he had posted online of himself abusing one of his daughters.

  The father committed suicide in December 2017. His wife, Leizza, pleaded guilty to knowing about the abuse of their daughters and failing to stop it. She was sentenced to two years and six months in prison. She was released in October 2020.

  (This story has been updated to add more information.)