I've spent more time with both articles, the one Barb posted, and the one lancelnk did. Both contain valuable info.
On the (second) one from North Illinois: yes, it's true, as lancelink states, that the elder did indeed "warn the hall about the abuser," but the accusations were not reported to the government for 12 more years, "when the victim told church leaders the abuse had not stopped" and doubtless when the brainless (organizationally "loyal") elders got the green light from Mommy (the org) to do so.
But far more interesting is the legal maneuvering that his case displays. It shows how this prosecutor, and likely prosecutors in general since they communicate with one another in law journals, at conferences, personally etc., are finding ways around the clergy-penitent privilege. The elder first tried to duck the prosecutor's questions by appealing to that, but the prosecutor found a way around it, a way that worked in the prosecution's favor. There's a lot here. First, that clergy-penitent privilege is being legally undermined in the courtroom. That's huge. Second, the GB and their lackeys in the Legal Department are aware of this. That must be scary for them. Their wall may be crumbling.
On the other, first posted link from Arizona by Barb: this case is not specifically about JWs. Rather it's a Mormon case. That group is very big in Arizona. This reporter Mary Jo Pitzl has really done her research well. She understands the role that clergy-penitent privilege has played in CSA cases, its problems and difficulties, and she provides some up-to-date info on what is happening on the legislative and judicial fronts on the matter. She mentions JWs only in regards to the Montana case where the state supreme court unanimously and "unwillingly" overturned that multi-million-dollar civil judgement against the WTS because they felt the laws, as they stand, need to be amended regarding clergy-penitent privilege. She also shows how this extends to beyond the Witness world. She brings in the Mormons and the Catholics, two groups who, unlike JWs, are heavily involved in the world, in politics, and so on. As Pitzl shows, they are not going to idly sit by and watch this cherished privilege dissolve.
As I've stated in other posts, this matter will eventually have to be decided by SCOTUS, and given the heavy bias toward conservatism that body now has, the outcome may not be what the people in general want to hear (though it would be interesting to see what John Roberts would do).
