LDS Church Lawsuit: Abuse Claims & Eligibility

LDS church abuse lawsuits allege that leaders and members sexually abused other members — most of whom were minors — and that the Mormon church concealed the abuse.

These accounts of abuse weren’t just one or two individual incidents, but evidence of a systemic problem within the church, and not the fault of the people who were abused. In fact, the abuse had been going on for decades, with lawsuits centering around incidents that occurred from the 1960s to the early 2020s.

Not only did the church fail to stop the abuse, but it had policies in place to actively conceal it. Plaintiffs allege these Church-wide policies were designed to silence victims, protect abusers and facilitate ongoing abuse by transferring abusers across the country when they were reported.

One way the LDS church concealed abuse reports was to set up an internal help line to report sexual abuse. However, the reports were only accessible to church leaders. Instead of giving this information to the authorities, the church routinely destroyed these records.

Because of the private nature of these lawsuits, it’s impossible to know the exact number of people who have filed lawsuits. However, some law firms have found thousands of reports of sexual abuse in the LDS church and hundreds more reports of concealing it. In 2025, the church settled more than 100 child sex abuse cases in California during private mediation, but the terms of the settlement aren’t public.

Lawsuits accuse the church of concealing abuse, allowing registered sex offenders to hold callings and positions within the church, failing to warn minors and their parents about the abuse, and causing emotional harm and distress.

Most of the survivors who filed lawsuits against the LDS church were children or young adults at the time of the abuse. They may have been former youth program participants, missionaries, congregants and children of church members.

Abusers can come from any position within the church, including bishops, missionaries, youth leaders, home teachers and other members who used their position of authority to gain access to minors. The abuse typically occurred in church buildings, church camps, mission housing, church events and private homes where the relationship was established through the church.

If you or a loved one were abused by someone you knew through the LDS church, you may have legal options. Make sure to speak to an attorney to learn about your options. Contacting an attorney doesn’t obligate you to file a lawsuit.

If you experienced abuse in the Mormon church as a child, you may qualify to file a lawsuit against the church. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

The criteria below are based on what courts and law firms have accepted in Mormon church abuse cases. A free consultation with an experienced lawyer can confirm whether you have a case. Your experience will be handled with respect and compassion and always kept private.

Who Committed the Abuse

The person who abused you must have been an LDS church leader, employee or member. This includes bishops, missionaries, teachers, youth group leaders or anyone else who held a position of responsibility or authority in the church. You must be able to identify them by name or by confirming they were a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Your Age at the Time

You must have been under the age of 18 when the abuse first occurred. The abuse may have continued into adulthood, even if it started while you were a minor.

Your Connection to the Church

Your relationship with the person who abused you must have developed through the church, or the abuse must have occurred on church property or at a church-sponsored event.

If the person who abused you was a direct family member, the abuse must have started before you became a family member.

The Type of Abuse That Occurred

The abuse must have involved sexual contact of any kind. If you are uncertain whether what happened to you qualifies, a free consultation can help clarify. You don’t have to have all the answers before reaching out to a lawyer, and they can help you figure out if you qualify.

You can start the process of filing a claim at any time, but the time limit to file varies by state. Fortunately, for child sex abuse, many states have extended or no time limits.

It’s common for people who have suffered sexual abuse to not come forward for years or even decades. As a child, you may have felt that there was no one to go to or that you would get in trouble for telling someone. Abusers often threaten or frighten children into silence.

For these reasons, many states allow an extended time to file these claims. Even if you were abused many years ago and are now an adult, you may be able to file a claim.

The first step in filing a Mormon Church abuse lawsuit is to contact an attorney. They will help you navigate the litigation process and determine if you qualify to file a lawsuit.

The experienced lawyers who handle these cases understand how difficult it can be to revisit old memories and emotions surrounding such traumatic events. The right law firm will always be compassionate about what you went through.

There is never any pressure to file a lawsuit. If at any time you decide you don’t want to file, you don’t have to.