Special Reports (13 articles)

Mormon church accused of omitting evidence to stop sexual abuse lawsuit after rejected $250 million BSA immunity bid

BREAKING: Mormon church accused of omitting 19 pages of evidence in “deeply disingenuous” attempt to stop sexual abuse lawsuit after rejected $250M immunity bid

Breaking, Lawsuits, News, Special ReportsBy Jane November 5, 2025

Floodlit, an independent newsroom reporting on sexual abuse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has obtained documents revealing a legal battle in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, as part of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) bankruptcy proceedings. This article is part of a series of Floodlit special…

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Latter-day Saint church in Potomac, Maryland

Rinse & Repeat: Mormon church trying to force BSA victim to dismiss sex abuse lawsuit

Breaking, Lawsuits, News, Special ReportsBy Jane September 23, 2025

Floodlit case report: Richard Kent James Complaint: John Doe v. LDS Church, Bill Marriott, Mormon officials John Doe Objection to LDS Church Motion, BSA Bankruptcy, July 21, 2025 BREAKING: Mormon church accused of omitting 19 pages of evidence in “deeply disingenuous” attempt to stop sexual abuse lawsuit after rejected $250M immunity bid – Nov. 5,…

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For 26 years (1963-89), LDS-BSA top execs knew of “perversion files,” but allegedly did not tell LDS church

Breaking, Lawsuits, News, Special ReportsBy Floodlit June 17, 2025

Floodlit.org has learned that from 1963 to 1989 (26 straight years), five Mormon men who knew of the Boy Scout perversion files held the paid position of top liaison between BSA and LDS church. If an LDS official’s 2012 statement is true, none of them informed the church. Could the church have done more? This…

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Uncovering the Mormon Church’s Knowledge of Child Sexual Abuse: The 1984 Lawsuit

Breaking, Lawsuits, News, Special ReportsBy Jane June 11, 2025

Yesterday, we mentioned the disturbing case of Richard Kenneth Ray, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church) who admitted to Arizona police in 1984 to molesting at least 33 children, three calves, and a dog over two decades. This article is part of a series of Floodlit special reports…

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Findings re: Mormon official’s declaration on church knowledge of sexual abuse

Breaking, Lawsuits, News, Special ReportsBy Jane June 10, 2025

Floodlit.org has learned that in 2012, LDS church risk management director Paul Rytting declared under penalty of perjury, “the first lawsuit against the Church relating to sexual abuse was brought in 1989.” But we found two prior lawsuits (1986, 1988) directly contradicting his statement. Did he know? This article is part of a series of…

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Where are the letters? Alleged sex abuse coverup by Mormon First Presidency

Breaking, Lawsuits, Special ReportsBy Floodlit May 6, 2025

Did you know there is a current lawsuit accusing the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of aiding a sex abuse coverup? This case involves allegations of child sexual abuse in Santa Maria, California in the 1980s and 1990s. If you attended church there, please contact us. This article is…

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FLOODLIT discovers three more Mormon sex abuse settlements, totaling over $2 million

Breaking, News, Special ReportsBy Floodlit May 1, 2025

FLOODLIT has learned of three more settlements the Mormon church paid after alleged sexual abuse of children. 1. $1.5 Million in 2019 in Riverside County, California (case RIC181995). An employee sexually abused a minor attending daycare on church property. Plaintiff Law firm: Estey & Bomberger 2. $500,000 in 2010 – location unknown. Law firm: Nye, Stirling,…

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BREAKING: Mormon church files appeal after losing civil suit against sex abuse insurers

Breaking, News, Special ReportsBy Floodlit April 29, 2025

Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed an appeal after losing a lawsuit against insurance companies regarding more than $27 million in legal defense costs and $32 million in child sex abuse settlement payments to…

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BREAKING: Mormon Church Nears Massive Settlement of Over 100 Sexual Abuse Claims

Breaking, News, Special ReportsBy Floodlit April 16, 2025 1 Comment

Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. FLOODLIT.org, an independent newsroom investigating sexual abuse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has learned that the church is now on the verge of settling more than 100 claims of sexual abuse filed since August…

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Mormon church loses civil suit against insurers over sexual abuse settlements

Breaking, News, Special ReportsBy Floodlit April 11, 2025 2 Comments

Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has lost a civil lawsuit against insurance companies over settlement payments it made to six West Virginia families in 2018 regarding allegations that Mormon officials hid child sexual abuse allegations…

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Wave of around 100 Mormon sex abuse lawsuits continues in California

Breaking, News, Special ReportsBy Floodlit April 8, 2025

Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints won a key battle last week against roughly 100 plaintiffs who say it covered up their sexual abuse. Most were children at the time of the alleged abuse. This article…

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Email from Paul Rytting, Mormon church risk management director, to insurers regarding a sexual abuse case, Mar. 9, 2018.

Timeline: LDS church sued insurers to collect $90 million, after settling 5-year-long child sex abuse suit

Breaking, News, Special ReportsBy Floodlit April 2, 2025

FLOODLIT.org, an independent newsroom investigating sexual abuse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, broke the story last week that the church spent nearly $60 million over five years to defend and settle a lawsuit filed in 2013 by six West Virginia families who said church leaders covered up the abuse of their…

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$59 million, five years: what Mormon officials spent to stop a sex abuse lawsuit

Breaking, News, Special ReportsBy Floodlit March 25, 2025

FLOODLIT.org, an independent newsroom investigating sexual abuse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has learned that the church spent nearly $60 million over five years to defend and settle a 2013 West Virginia lawsuit by child sexual abuse victims. The church, widely known as the Mormon church, racked up $27 million in…

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