Victims Blast Mormon Officials in “bizarre” Abuse Case

SNAP
April 16, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/wv_victims_blast_mormon_officials_in_bizarre_abuse_case

In an outrageous perversion of justice, victims of a twice-convicted serial child molester are being forced to pay half the legal fees of two court-appointed private lawyers in a civil abuse and cover up case, thanks to stunningly callous and aggressive legal tactics by Mormon church officials.

[journal-news.net]

In 25 years of monitoring clergy sex abuse cases across the US, we’ve never seen anything like this.

Mormon officials have persuaded a West Virginia judge to make victims of Christopher Michael Jensen pay half the cost of a “discovery commissioner” to rule on discovery motions. And those same victims, in this same case, are being forced to pay half the cost of a second court-appointed private attorney, Kirk Bottner, who is acting as a “guardian ad litem” for Jensen, a serial predator who has been convicted for assaulting young kids in Utah and West Virginia.

How on earth can this be legal? Even if it is, it’s immoral. It’s especially immoral when purportedly spiritual figures propose, accept or benefit from this unfair and hurtful arrangement.

Our hearts go out to the families in this case. They’ve experienced three horrific betrayals – first by a child molester, then by callous Mormon officials and now by the misuse of our justice system by these Mormon officials.

We urge Mormons to stop using these aggressive legal maneuvers and apologize for their heartless actions. And we urge anyone who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes or coverups by Mormons to call police, expose wrongdoers, protect kids, and start healing.