What Survivors Allege
Survivors have filed lawsuits alleging they were sexually abused as minors by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, local leaders, or volunteers, or in Church settings and youth programs. The lawsuits allege that the Church did not do enough to report known abuse or protect children.[1]
A central allegation in many of these cases concerns the Church's confidential abuse help line. Local lay leaders are instructed to call the help line 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. Plaintiffs allege the help line was used to limit legal exposure rather than alert authorities.[1]
These allegations are unproven, and the Church has not been found liable in the cases that remain pending.[1]
How the Church Has Responded
The Church disputes the characterization of the help line. It has said the Associated Press report seriously mischaracterized the help line, that the line exists to protect children, and that it condemns abuse.[1]
In litigation, the Church has raised defenses including the clergy-penitent privilege and statutes of limitations.[1]
Which Cases Are Named
The lawsuits are individual cases filed in state and federal courts in California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and other states. There is no verified count of the total number of cases.[2]
A group of plaintiffs asked the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to centralize at least 27 federal abuse cases in the Central District of California.[2]
In April 2025, the Judicial Panel issued an order denying transfer. The Panel concluded that centralization was not necessary for the convenience of the parties and witnesses or the just and efficient conduct of the litigation. The Panel noted that the cases involve different alleged abusers, locations, decades, and Church policies. There is no federal MDL and no class action. The abuse cases continue as separate lawsuits in the courts where they were filed.[2]
There is an MDL with the Church's name on it in the District of Utah, In re: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Tithing Litigation, MDL No. 3102. That MDL concerns how member donations were used, not abuse, and a judge dismissed the lead complaint in 2025. It is a separate matter.[3]
California Cases and the Lookback Window
Many of the cases were filed in California under Assembly Bill 218, which created a lookback window from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022. The lookback window allowed previously time-barred childhood sexual abuse claims to be filed. That window has closed. 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]
More than 100 California abuse cases were coordinated in California state court. In 2025, following a private mediation, the Church and plaintiffs' attorneys reached a settlement in principle covering those coordinated cases. The terms 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]
The Arizona Failure-to-Report Case
In July 2025, 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 Church has said it intends to seek review by the Arizona Supreme Court.[4]
Current Status
The cases are individual lawsuits proceeding in the courts where they were filed, with coordination in California state court. The California coordinated cases reached a confidential settlement in principle in 2025. The record we track does not show a first bellwether trial date in any of the remaining cases. For the full record, see our page on timeline and current status.[1][2]
What Is Not Known Yet
The record we track does not show whether the Arizona Supreme Court has accepted review of the failure-to-report case or its current status. Law firm sites have reported the number of coordinated California cases as 91 or more than 90, but that figure is not verified from court records.[6]
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.