A wave of around 100 civil lawsuits was filed in California in late 2024 and early 2025 alleging child sexual abuse by Mormon church leaders or members, along with failure to report the abuse to law enforcement.

UPDATE Mar. 4, 2025: We have obtained court documents related to these cases:

As of Feb. 14, 2025, this coordinated wave of lawsuits – all filed since Aug. 26, 2024 against the Mormon church – involve approximately 110 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, over 95 abuse survivors joined efforts in suing the Mormon church.

A Feb. 2025 episode of Mormon Stories Podcast covered this topic and featured an interview with attorneys from Andrews Thornton, which filed dozens of lawsuits against the Mormon church in 2024-25 in California. (“Mormon Church Facing New Sex Abuse & Trafficking Lawsuits – Phil & Paydan Bussey | Ep. 1991”)

Mormon sexual abuse cases in California: examples

  • Todd Edwards – was a Mormon bishop in Menifee, Riverside County, California; in 2013, sentenced to three years in prison for sexual abuse of one teenage girl in 2006 and another in 2012; was bishop at the time of the 2012 abuse; in 2024, two victims sued the LDS church in separate lawsuits; one said a stake president (Robert Wilson) and LDS law firm Kirton McConkie hindered police
  • 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.
  • John Doe – was a Mormon temple worker in Los Angeles, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the LDS church of sexually assaulting a man in 1984 while performing a private anointing ritual in the Los Angeles LDS temple.
  • Arlin Hatch – was a Mormon church member in California; accused of sexual abuse in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church.

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

The SSS LLP 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

BEFORE THE UNITED STATES JUDICIAL PANEL ON MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION

As of Mar. 3, 2025, the following 28 cases were included together in case MDL-3150, IN RE: CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF MDL No. 3150 LATTER-DAY SAINTS SEXUAL ABUSE
LITIGATION:

  1. Jane Roe LM 89 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 2:24-cv-09350
  2. Jane Roe AA 102 v. Doe 1 et al.; Central District of California; 2:25-cv-00403
  3. Jane Roe RL 8 v. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints et al; Central District of California; 5:24-cv-02149
  4. Jane Roe JW 142 v. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints et al; Central District of California; 5:24-cv-02150
  5. Jane Roe MB 69 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 8:24-cv-02395
  6. Jane Roe SR 3 v. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (including its ecclesiastical unit, the Morgan Hill California Stake) et al.; Northern District of California; 5:24-cv-07119- EJD
  7. Jane Roe TT 80 v. Doe 1, et al.; Eastern District of California; 1:25-cv-00007
  8. John Roe AJ 1 v. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, et al.; Eastern District of California; 2:24-cv-02990
  9. John Roe CS 88 v. DOE 1, a corporation et al.; Central District of California; 2:24-cv-11154 John Roe JS 6 v. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, et al., Southern District of California; 3:24-cv-02407
  10. John Roe JJ 93 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 2:24-cv-09335-SRM-JPR
  11. Gina Avery v. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints et al; Western District of Louisiana; 2:24-cv-01516
  12. Jane Roe JC 7 v. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Central District of California; 2:24-cv-08672
  13. John Roe EB 67 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 2:24-cv-09516
  14. John Roe PD 58 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 2:24-cv-09543
  15. Jane Roe AD 30 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 2:24-cv-10442
  16. John Roe AS 32 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 2:24-cv-10483
  17. Jane Roe SL 48 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 2:25-cv-00436
  18. Jane Roe EO 5 v. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints et al.; Central District of California; 5:24-cv-02151
  19. Jane Roe RC 23 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 5:24-cv-02383
  20. John Roe DR 63 v. Doe 1, et al.: Central District of California; 5:24-cv-02509
  21. John Roe DG 59 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 5:24-cv-02559
  22. John Roe NR 52 v. Doe 1, et al; Central District of California; 5:24-cv-02560
  23. Jane Roe CP 76 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 5:24-cv-02583
  24. Jane Roe LB 61 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 8:24-cv-02406
  25. John Roe WC 36 v. Doe 1, et al.; Central District of California; 8:24-cv-02410
  26. Jane Roe HM 95 v. Doe 1, et al.; Northern District of California; 3:24-cv-07656
  27. John Roe DJ 40 v. Doe 1, et al.; Northern District of California; 3:24-cv-09218
  28. Jane Roe JT 34 v. Doe 1, et al.; Northern District of California; 4:24-cv-07632

30 California LDS stakes involved in ongoing sex abuse lawsuits

If you ever attended church in the following Latter-day Saint stakes, your LDS leaders may have covered up sexual abuse, according to allegations in dozens of ongoing lawsuits: (note – we are still adding links)

    1. Antioch California Stake
    2. Arcadia California Stake
    3. Carlsbad California Stake – plaintiff John Roe RV 47, Case No. 3:24-cv-02347 (S.D. Cal.)
    4. Eureka California Stake
    5. Glendora California Stake
    6. Hemet California Stake
    7. Huntington Beach California Stake
    8. Lancaster California East Stake
    9. Lancaster California Stake
    10. Long Beach California Stake – John Roe JJ 93, Case No. 2:24-cv-09335 (C.D. Cal.)
    11. Los Angeles California Stake – Jane Roe LM 89, Case No. 2:24-cv-09350 (C.D. Cal.); Jane Roe MB 87, Case No. 2:24-cv-09361 (C.D. Cal.); John Roe AS 32, Case No. 2:24-cv-10483 (C.D. Cal.); Jane Roe AA 102, Case No. 2:25-cv-00403 (C.D. Cal.); Jane Roe SL 48, Case No. 2:25-cv-00436 (C.D. Cal.).
    12. Menifee California Stake
    13. Modesto California North Stake
    14. Morgan Hill California Stake
    15. Napa California Stake
    16. Newport Beach California Stake
    17. Palmdale California Stake
    18. Palos Verdes California Stake
    19. Rancho Cucamonga California Stak
    20. Redding California Stake
    21. Rialto California Stake
    22. Riverside California Stake
    23. San Diego California South Stake
    24. San Jose California South Stake
    25. San Luis Obispo California Stake
    26. Simi Valley California Stake
    27. Sunset Beach California Stake
    28. Thousand Oaks California Stake
    29. Ventura California Stake
    30. Yucaipa California Stake
    31. Yucca Valley California Stake

    Source:
    Case CAC/8:24-cv-02410 Document 19-1 Filed 03/03/25

    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.