A wave of 91 civil lawsuits was filed in California in late 2024 alleging child sexual abuse by Mormon church leaders or members, along with failure to report the abuse to law enforcement.

As of December 10, 2024, this coordinated wave of lawsuits – all filed since Aug. 26, 2024 by the Slater Slater Schulman LLP law firm against the Mormon church – involve approximately 100 accused LDS church leaders/members in California, including:

  • 20 bishops
  • 20 elders
  • 8 missionaries
  • 5 high priests
  • 6 teachers
  • 4 counselors
  • 3 youth leaders
  • 1 stake president
  • 30+ other leaders/members

In all, 91 abuse survivors have joined efforts in suing the Mormon church.

Mormon sexual abuse cases in California: examples

  • Timothy Bradbury Monzello – was a Mormon bishop in Azusa, California (Azusa 1st Ward, Glendora California Stake) from about 2005 to 2010; accused in a 2024 civil lawsuit of sexual abuse that allegedly took place between 2008 and 2010, starting when the victim was seven years old; the alleged abuse took place in the bishop’s office at church and at Monzello’s home
  • Bishop Baldwin – was a Mormon bishop in Pittsburg, California in 1989; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse that allegedly lasted from 1989 to 1997, when the victim was 5 to 13 years old
  • James B – was an LDS bishop in Newport Beach, California in about 1990 to 1995; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy in his office at church every week from 1990 to 1995, when the victim was 12 to about 17 years old
  • Arthur Stout – was a Mormon church member in Littlerock, California; in 2024, a civil lawsuit said he sexually assaulted a girl “on a weekly basis” from 1991 to 1997, starting when she was 5 years old; some of the alleged abuse took place in an LDS church building

On Sep. 6, the SSS LLP law firm submitted a petition for coordination to the Riverside County Superior Court, requesting that all 91 related civil cases be considered as a coordinated set of actions.

The law firm said five more recently filed cases may end up getting included, and that more lawsuits may be filed and included in the future.

The plaintiffs each allege nearly identical causes of action including:

  • (1) Negligence
  • (2) Negligent Supervision of a Minor
  • (3) Sexual Abuse of a Minor
  • (4) Negligent Hiring, Supervision and Retention
  • (5) Negligent Failure to Warn, Train, or Educate Plaintiff
  • (6) Breach of Mandatory Duty

FLOODLIT is Investigating Mormon Sex Abuse Suits in California

We are requesting copies of court records for each of these 91 lawsuits. We will add case reports to our growing LDS sex abuse database of over 1,000 accused individuals.

California Mormon Abuse Lawsuit News

Please bookmark this page (https://floodlit.org/coordinated-lawsuit-california/) and check regularly for updates. You can follow us on social media for updates as well.

Help FLOODLIT Get Records

We are asking the public to consider donating to help FLOODLIT pay for copies of court records as we investigate and report on these cases. You can donate via our website. We are a non-profit organization.

Contact FLOODLIT

If you have any information about any cases in this coordinated lawsuit, please contact us.