FLAGSTAFF (AZ)
The Associated Press
September 23, 2018
Four Native Americans who claimed they were sexually abused while enrolled in a now-defunct foster program run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decades ago filed paperwork to dismiss their cases after reaching financial settlements, a lawyer said.
Allegations have been made against the church by more than a dozen tribal members from the Navajo Nation and Crow Tribe of Montana.
Four cases recently were settled, three were settled last year and others reached agreements out of court. One case remains in Washington state.
The terms of the latest agreements are confidential and include no admission of wrongdoing, said Craig Vernon, an attorney who represented the tribal members.
The cases were filed in Window Rock District Court on the Navajo Nation.
Vernon said he believed his clients would have prevailed in tribal courts, but federal courts were risky. He said his clients had mixed feelings about settling.
The lawsuits sought monetary damages, written apologies and a guarantee that Mormon leaders would report suspected abuse. Vernon said his clients did not receive an apology and church policies remain unchanged.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.