Mormon church urges judge to toss 1984 sex-assault claim
Source: Associated Press
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
Jul 18, 2018 Updated 1 hr ago
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Mormon church lawyers asked a judge Wednesday to toss out a lawsuit from a woman who says she was raped in the 1980s by a former Mormon missionary leader who held the powerful position even though church officials knew he had a history of sexual misconduct.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints denies those allegations, and attorneys argue her case should be dismissed because key witnesses are dead and evidence has disappeared over the last 34 years.
"One needs to take the rights of the accused seriously," said Andrew Deiss, a lawyer for the former leader, Joseph L. Bishop. He said his client is now an 85-year-old man who may not be able to fully defend himself.
. . .
Denson says she reported the assault several times over the past three decades but the church failed to take disciplinary action. The church has said Bishop wasn't punished because he denied the allegations and church members could not verify them.
Read more: https://journaltimes.com/news/national/mormon-church-urges-judge-to-toss-sex-assault-claim/article_8dab7328-78ca-51e5-9256-ddcf4bf57e3d.html
Story:
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/03/22/former-missionary-training-center-president-admits-to-asking-a-young-missionary-to-expose-her-breasts-in-the-80s-byu-police-say/
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