I watched a series of You Tube interviews with Candace Conti and her lawyer, Rick Simons or Rick Simmons. It is interesting. Unlike most others, I expressly heard Simons state that the Conti case has unusual facts that bolster a claim against the WTBTS. The WT had actual notice of the pedophile in question. The WT lawyers made themselves vulnerable by counseling elders when they have no legal duty to do so. Actual notice makes the defendant more liable than in the usual case.
Most cases against elders will only be against elders. Although I never liked elders, I don't believe they should be liable when the Bethelite lawyers walk away free. This will be the typical situation. I believe there may be ethical obligations on the WT lawyers to inform elders that the counsel may be contrary to the elders' interest. I believe in attacking the executives at the top who instituted a policy, not the small people downstream.
People here are delusional about the Conti case and the impact of sexual abuse cases. Name the details that make the WT worse than any high control religion. Are the Mormons better than the Witnesses? Is the Opus Dei faction of the Roman Catholic Church better than the WT? I just moved back after a painful time in Mennonite country. They are truly neutral and do good works around the globe. Yet within the Mennnonite churches of the more conservative order, there is high control.
To pick on the WT alone or make snarky remarks about the Roman Catholic Church does not market a remedy you see for the WT. Lawsuits are poor vehicles for social justice. First, the costs are prohibitive. Second, one is hemmed in by other bodies of law that don't directly relate to the important facts, such as procedural law and local court rules. This glee concerning random lawsuits signals a lack of sophistication.
Letters to the editor, conversations with neighbors, perhaps public service ads promoting child education to fend off offenders are morth worty places of action. No one is for child sex abuse- except pedophiles. I recall a Roman Catholic official describing the generational changes in his church. In the 1960s, the Church believed some prayer and concern could cure pedophiles. The Bible states that we are suppposed to forgive. With the organization of victims and more social science studies, the current belief is that few pedophiles can ever be successfully treated.
Yes, other lawyers will follow Simons. What good are these cases unless a link to the WT can be proven to a judge or jury? Simons knows what he can accomplish and what the law will never allow. Personal injury lawyers are the low point of the bar. Certainly there are some decent ones. Making your income from other people's agony is not noble, IMO.S
The WT is vulnerable but not in a court of law. Let the Conti case succeed on appeal before you count the cash. The WT side has legal merits. Sometimes it strikes me that a certain crowd here is delighted that children were abused so the WT could be sued. The court of public opinion is more important. If fewer people join the Witnesses, the WTBTS might die of attrition. They have deep pockets. These lawsuits are a nuisance, not a death blow.
