Abuse Survivor's $4M Judgment Against Jehovah's Witness Umbrella Organization Upheld by Court 12/10/18
by Not_Culty 25 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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carla
Can anyone access the whole story? This is all I can see without subscribing-
A California appellate court has upheld a $4-plus million judgment against Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc., the top organizational body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in a case brought by a woman who alleges she was molested as a child by a church elder in 2006.
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Not_Culty
The ruling from the 4th District Court of Appeal was filed yesterday. It leaves sanctions and $4M judgement against Watchtower in place. Details of the case start at end of page 4.
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steve2
It would be great if someone could give a synopsis of the ruling. I’m on iPhone at the moment and the small font of the ruling is so hard to read. Thanks in anticipation. 😀
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Amelia Ashton
“On July 15, 2006, [J.W.] and three other girls were invited to a slumber party at [Simental’s] home. [Simental] had a daughter near the age of [J.W.] and the other invited girls. [¶] During that afternoon, [Simental] joined the girls in a pool in the backyard. While in the pool, [Simental] sexually molested [J.W.] and another girl (Doe 1) in separate incidents. Doe 1’s sister, Doe 2, had previously been molested on two occasions by [Simental].” Doe 1 and Doe 2 told their mother about Simental molesting them. The mother contacted an elder of the congregation, and a judicial committee was convened. Simental admitted he molested Doe 2 on two occasions, and that he molested Doe 1 twice on July 15. The judicial committee reproved Simental. The principal of Doe 1 and Doe 2’s school was notified of the abuse, and s/he reported it to law enforcement. Approximately two months after July 15, J.W.’s parents received a telephone call from the Murrieta Police Department asking if Simental sexually abused J.W. J.W.’s father (Father) spoke to the elders of the Mountain View congregation who advised Father that J.W. did not have to speak with the police. J.W. and her family began attending a different congregation—the French Valley Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Unbeknownst to J.W. and her family, Simental also moved to the French Valley congregation. Approximately one year after July 2006, J.W. informed her parents of the extent of Simental’s sexual touching. J.W.’s parents spoke to the police and then to the elders of the French Valley congregation.
The elders came to J.W.’s home and “interrogated JW, who was approximately ten years of age, about the abuse in explicit detail. JW, and her parents, were very upset by the explicit nature of the questions asked, and the depth to which the Elders probed for information.” Father told the elders that he was thinking of requesting a restraining order against Simental. The elders told Father that he did not need to speak to the police, “and that to do so would bring reproach on the congregation.” In two criminal cases, Simental was found guilty of molesting Doe 1, Doe 2, and J.W.2 J.W.’s first cause of action was for negligence. J.W. asserted Watchtower had a duty to protect J.W., who was entrusted to Watchtower’s care by J.W.’s parents. J.W. asserted Watchtower had a duty to control Simental and prevent him from sexually molesting children. J.W. alleged that Watchtower was “aware, prior to the sexual abuse of [J.W.] herein, of [Simental’s] dangerous and exploitive propensities. [Watchtower was] also aware that [it] had the ability to place restrictions on [Simental’s] access to children, service and preaching activities, give warnings to the congregation, and otherwise control Simental’s conduct.”
Watchtower's defense is that the slumber party was not a watchtower sponsored event and I stopped reading after that.
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days of future passed
Watchtower contends the minute orders are irrelevant and therefore the request should be denied. We have not relied on the minute orders in our opinion, and we do not find the minute orders to be helpful in this case because, as Watchtower notes, the minute orders were not before the trial court in the instant case. (People v. Preslie (1977) 70 Cal.App.3d 486, 493 [denying judicial notice of documents not presented to the trial court].)
However, J.W. relies upon the minute orders in making her argument to this court. For example, J.W. argues, “Watchtower is a repeat offender who has consistently flouted court orders to produce documents regarding its knowledge of child molestation . . . in multiple pending cases besides this case.” Because the minute orders are relevant to J.W.’s argument, we conclude they have some relevance.
DISPOSITION The judgment is affirmed. Respondent is awarded her costs on appeal. (Cal.
The WT doing what it does - trying to slip and slide but getting caught.
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millie210
Oh the irony of using a " a pool party is not a Watchtower sponsored event" argument.
They work the point hard at every meeting watch your association, to segregate their members from the "world". ESPECIALLY for association their children are allowed.
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flipper
4 million $$$$ lawsuit upheld by the court. Great news. Multiply this by the thousands of child molesters still in the Jehovah's Witnesses organization who are hopefully being found out and WT being charged in lawsuits, in time WT Society will be leaking more financial oil in their wheels than they can afford- hopefully. Just goes to show WT Society is not above the laws of the land in spite of WT leaders own cockeyed opinions of themselves. Peace out, Mr. Flipper
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Finkelstein
Ironic is it not that what has happened to the Catholic religion is now happening to the Jehovah's Witnesses religion.
Both are guilty of trying to handle these situations internally which inevitably has caused harm to some unfortunate innocent young ones.
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The Fall Guy
So delighted to hear that JW.BORG has been done over yet again. May their agonies multiply.
Thank you very much for this post, as I've just shared the links with members in my previous congregation who I know will be very quick to share/gossip about it with other J.W.'s. Excellent! (Mr. Burns voice)
Page 13, Section 3: "That is because the sin of child abuse is often time described by elders who write to the Service Department by the Scriptural description of the specific sinful act, such as ‘porneia’."
Yup, first and foremost, the
WTBTScult & its elders view the raping of children as a sin - not a crime!