Overview
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed alleging childhood sexual abuse connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The cases are proceeding as individual lawsuits in state and federal courts across multiple states. There is no federal multidistrict litigation and no class action. A confidential settlement in principle has been reached in California state court cases, but many other cases remain pending.[2]
What the Lawsuits Allege
Plaintiffs allege they were sexually abused as minors by Church members, local leaders, or volunteers, or in Church settings and youth programs, and that the Church did not do enough to report known abuse or protect children. A central allegation concerns the Church's confidential abuse help line, which local lay leaders are instructed to call when they learn of abuse. A 2022 Associated Press investigation reported that the help line operates with involvement from the Church's outside law firm, and plaintiffs allege it was used to limit legal exposure rather than alert authorities. The Church disputes that. It has said the report seriously mischaracterized the help line, that the line exists to protect children, and that it condemns abuse. In litigation the Church has raised defenses including the clergy-penitent privilege and statutes of limitations. These allegations are unproven, and the Church has not been found liable in the cases that remain pending.[1]
For more detail on what the lawsuits allege, see our page on what the lawsuits allege.
Why Many Cases Were Filed in California
California's lookback window under Assembly Bill 218 ran from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022 and allowed previously time-barred childhood sexual abuse claims to be filed. It has closed. It is part of why many of these cases were filed in California. Outside a lookback window, California allows childhood sexual abuse claims until the survivor turns 40 or within five years of discovering that an injury was caused by the abuse, whichever is later. Deadlines differ in every state.[1]
For more on how claims work and deadlines, see our page on how claims work and deadlines.
Timeline of Key Events
February 2025: Motion to Centralize Federal Cases
A group of plaintiffs asked the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to centralize the federal abuse cases against the Church in the Central District of California, where at least 27 of the actions had been filed. Multidistrict litigation, or MDL, is a procedure that allows federal cases with common factual questions to be transferred to a single judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings. The goal is efficiency: one judge handles common issues like discovery and motions, and cases can later be sent back to their original courts for trial if they do not settle.[2]
April 3, 2025: JPML Denies Centralization
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued an order denying transfer, concluding that centralization was not necessary for the convenience of the parties and witnesses or the just and efficient conduct of the litigation. The Panel found that the cases involve different alleged abusers, locations, decades, and Church policies. As a result, there is no federal MDL and no class action. The abuse cases continue as separate lawsuits in the courts where they were filed.[2]
A Note on MDL No. 3102
There is an MDL with the Church's name on it, In re: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Tithing Litigation, MDL No. 3102, in the District of Utah. It concerns how member donations were used, not abuse, and a judge dismissed the lead complaint in 2025. It is a separate matter.[3]
2025: California Settlement in Principle
In 2025, following a private mediation, the Church and plaintiffs' attorneys reached a settlement in principle covering more than 100 California abuse cases that had been coordinated in California state court. Coordination in state court is a procedure similar to MDL but within a single state court system, allowing related cases to be managed together by one judge. The terms of the settlement are confidential and may never be disclosed. There is no public per-survivor figure, no settlement fund open to new claimants, and no claim form.[1]
July 31, 2025: Arizona Court of Appeals Ruling
The Arizona Court of Appeals revived a closely watched failure-to-report lawsuit against the Church, allowing it to proceed and sending the clergy-penitent privilege question back toward trial. The clergy-penitent privilege is a legal doctrine that protects certain confidential communications between a person and their religious leader from being disclosed in court. The Church has said it intends to seek review by the Arizona Supreme Court.[4]
Where Things Stand Today
The abuse cases against the Church are proceeding as individual lawsuits in state and federal courts in California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and other states. Each case has its own judge and its own schedule. The California state court cases have been coordinated for efficiency, and a confidential settlement in principle has been reached covering more than 100 of those cases.[1][2]
The record we track does not show a first bellwether trial date in any of the remaining cases. A bellwether trial is an early test case chosen to help the parties and the court understand how juries may respond to common issues, and it can influence settlement negotiations in other cases. The record also does not show a verified total count of pending cases.
What Is Not Known Yet
It has been reported, but not confirmed from court records, that the Arizona Supreme Court may have been asked to review the failure-to-report case and that the current number of coordinated California cases may be 91 or more than 90. We have not verified those reports.[6]
The record we track does not show the status of individual cases outside California, whether any other settlements have been reached, or whether any trial dates have been set.
Support for Survivors
RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which is free and confidential, at 800-656-4673.[5]
Sources
- California AB 218 (2020-01-01). Secondary report: openclassactions.com
- JPML motion (2025-02-01). Secondary report: aboutlawsuits.com
- MDL No. 3102 (D. Utah) (2025-04-17). Secondary report: kuer.org
- Arizona Court of Appeals (2025-07-31). Secondary report: kjzz.org
- RAINN (2026-09-01). Primary document: rainn.org
- Arizona; California JCCP (2026-01-01). Secondary report: lawsuit-information-center.com
Litigation facts on this page come from the TortIntel litigation record and the documents linked above. Last checked against that record on 2026-09-20. If you see an error, tell us and we will correct it.