11 LDS sex abuse cases found
Civil judgment in favor of plaintiff
- Civil case result: Judgment for plaintiff
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- George Aaron (1941 – ) was a former Mormon bishop in a college ward in Provo, Utah; allegedly sexually abused two teenage girls in the 1980s and early 1990s; no criminal charges; in 2001, a jury found him liable for intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of fiduciary duty, and reckless disregard toward the younger plaintiff; was ordered to pay $25,000 in punitive damages; the church was not a defendant
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Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, 
Alleged crime city:
UT - Provo, - Alleged crime county:
UT - Utah,
- Alleged crime state:
Utah,
Aaron's standing in the church reportedly didn't change despite his loss in court-
LDS positions: Bishop, - Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff,
- Alleged failure to report
Alleged crime city:
Alleged crime county:
Alleged crime state:
"I was sitting in a room, full of women, who had been sexually abused by a family member — most of them [saying], 'My father abused me. I told the bishop. Nothing happened.' I just knew that wasn't going to be my story. I wasn’t going to allow that to be my story."
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- Jose Arias (1962 – ) was a Mormon church missionary in Palm Desert, California; accused of sexual abuse; civil suit filed against LDS church and Arias; judge awarded judgment by default for the plaintiff (victim) against Arias in 2017 in the amount of approximately $4.2 million; the LDS church was not found liable
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- Alleged crime: 1980s,
- Alleged crime state:
California,
LDS positions: Missionary, 
Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, 
Alleged failure to report-
- Christian Bearnson (1963 – ) was a Mormon church member in Los Angeles, California in the early 1990s; molested a 13-year-old girl; in 1993, the Mormon church was found liable for child sexual abuse by a jury in a civil lawsuit; the LDS church then settled with the two plaintiffs, reportedly for millions of dollars (US), and had the court records sealed
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Crime: 1990s, - Crime state:
California,
LDS positions: Unknown position, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Probation, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Alleged failure to report-
- Charles Blome (1928 – 2005) was a Mormon church member and US Army veteran in or near Houston or Beaumont, Texas; admitted to sexually molesting at least five boys; pleaded guilty to two counts of indecency with a child; sentenced to 15 years in prison; the LDS church was ordered to pay $4 million to a 13-year-old boy victim; another lawsuit was filed against the church in 1998; Blome died in 2005
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- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
Texas,
a Mormon bishop tipped Blome off about the pending investigation, and Blome burned evidence before it could be seized, investigators said
LDS positions: Unknown position, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Alleged failure to report"Why would you preach to the membership of a church not to discuss a case of child abuse when it becomes known? They do that. The whole belief is that the men, the leaders who are all men, can take care of everything. If someone in a family is abused, the family won't go to the police. They'll go to the bishop."
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- Kevin Curlew was an LDS church member in Methuen, Massachusetts; accused of sexually abusing a child in an LDS chapel; convicted and sentenced to prison; in 2008, a victim's mother filed a civil lawsuit against the the Mormon church, claiming the church allowed the accused to babysit children despite his prior convictions for child sexual abuse, and that LDS leaders failed to report her child's abuse to police
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- Crime: 2000s,
- Crime state:
Maine, Massachusetts,
Convicted:
2006, LDS positions: Other leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Alleged failure to report-
- Steven Hammock (1941 – ) was an LDS church member in Utah; pleaded guilty in 1983 to two counts of forcible sex abuse of a child and served six months in an inpatient treatment facility; the LDS church excommunicated him, but during a civil suit filed in 1989 by the victim, it refused to divulge information that Hammock gave to church officials; in 1997, a federal judge awarded $150,000 in damages to the victim
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- LDS positions: Scout leader, Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff,
- Alleged failure to report
landmark abuse case in Utah
"When is everyone going to realize that this shit's got to stop?"
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- Jack Loholt was an LDS church member and Boy scout leader in Kent, Washington; accused of sexual abuse in the 1970s; court records show that two Mormon bishops knew about the abuse allegations but did not tell police; the Mormon church was court-ordered in 2006 to pay $87,500 to one victim after it settled with three others for undisclosed sums
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- Alleged crime: 1970s,
- Alleged crime state:
Washington,
LDS positions: Scout leader, Youth leader, Criminal case(s): Unknown result, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Alleged failure to report-
- Eustacio Munioz (1946 – ) was an LDS ward religious and missionary class leader in the Brownsville, Texas area; in 2011, was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy; the victim, as an adult, filed a lawsuit against the LDS church and won
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- Alleged crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Alleged crime state:
Texas,
LDS positions: Other leader, Youth leader, Criminal case(s): Unknown result, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Alleged failure to report-
- David Phipps/Verity was an LDS church member and dentist in Sacramento, California; pleaded no contest in 1987 to two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery involving two of his patients; In 1994, also pleaded no contest to two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery; served time in jail and had dental license revoked
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- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
California,
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, No contest, Plea deal, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, -
- Michael Shean (1947 – ) was a Mormon bishopric counselor and temple worker, and deputy district attorney in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California; convicted of sexually molesting boys; sentenced to prison; the Mormon church allegedly made at least one settlement payment to a victim who said a stake president covered up the abuse for years
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- Crime: 1980s,
- Crime state:
California,
LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary, Seminary teacher, Temple worker, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Alleged failure to report-
- Peter Taylor was a Mormon church member in Washington; confessed to sexual abuse of his two underage stepdaughters; convicted; Mormon church lost a civil lawsuit and was court ordered to pay the victims $2.5 million; the church appealed and the amount was reduced to $1.2 million
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- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
Washington,
Convicted:
2001, LDS positions: Unknown position, Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Civil case(s): Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Alleged failure to reportFilters
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