Corney

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Posts by Corney

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  42

  Elders accused of playing rape tape to victim, 15; case goes to Utah Sup. Court

  by Corney in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  a woman is suing a local congregation ("kingdom hall of jehovah’s witnesses, roy, utah, an unincorporated association"), individual elders and watchtower ny after, she claims, a judicial committee forced her to listen an audio recording of her own rape.

  the trial court summarized the facts as alleged by the plaintiff as follows:.

  at the time of the judicial committee, plaintiff was fifteen years old.

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  Corney

  Update: the Utah Supreme Court will hear that case on November 9 via Webex video conference. The argument will be streamed online.

  https://www.utcourts.gov/opinions/cal/calendar.php?court=sup&month=11&year=2020#
  
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  10

  Orange County, CA: New Case and New Legal Tactic

  by Corney in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  john roe 1 vs. defendant doe 1, congregation is a child sexual abuse case pending before the superior court of california, orange county (judge john c. gastelum).

  jury trial is scheduled on june 15, 2020, but it may not occur: the judge is expected to decide on multiple pre-trial motions including motion for sanctions filed by plantiffs; next hearing on pre-trial motions is scheduled on may 14.. case docket is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dbqcronnkeax492pshgwpuoubt-xaabz/view?usp=sharing .

  case documents are available for purchase here: https://ocapps.occourts.org/civilwebshoppingns/search.do (case number 30-2014-00741722-cu-po-cjc).. during the course of this litigation the court ordered watchtower to produce molestation complaints it received, redacting only names of victims and elders handling the matters.

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  Corney

  Update: after six years of litigation, the case has apparently been settled.
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  19

  Electronic Frontier Foundation v Watch Tower Society

  by Corney in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  [disclaimer: the headline is slightly misleading since the eff itself doesn't participate in the case, so read more below].

  it's not a secret that during the last two years watchtower obtained nearly 40 dmca subpoenas requiring google, facebook, instagram, twitter, soundcloud, scribd, reddit and other isps to provide personal information of users that allegedly infringed the society's copyright.. since subpoena proceeding is ex parte, almost all the requests were granted.. but one of the affected users contacted, on advice of youtube's legal team, the electronic frontier foundation (eff), and the foundation found a law firm ready to represent him pro bono, namely garvey schubert barer:.

  youtube's legal department emailed the user on or about july 10, 2018, five days before the subpoena's return date, stating that it would comply with the subpoena unless it received a file-stamped motion to quash "or other type of formal objection before july 20, 2018.

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  Corney

  After two years of inactivity, Judge Roman (SDNY) today has allowed Kevin McFree to challenge the subpoena and ordered the parties to brief the case, which may be heard this year.

  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/7182176/watch-tower-bible-and-tract-society-of-pennsylvania/?order_by=desc
  
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  16

  Another Kingdom Hall Sold (Van Buren, NY)

  by Anony Mous in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://www.xome.com/commercial-for-sale/7758-maple-road-van-buren-ny-13027-319162381.

  i was just looking around, this one i've been involved in renovating with the rbc.

  apparently it sold for $500k..

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  Corney

  1234, thanks for info. In case you're curious, the sale price is $825,000, and the buyer is Unity of Sedona, "a New Age spiritual center, New Thought church, and energy vortex."

  "[W]e are now able to announce that we have indeed found a new center. The process was magical in so many ways—a great confirmation that we are following the Guidance of Spirit," - announced the church.

  https://drive.google.com/file/d/13nlovB1BtQ5NxQFkXIvBjjQNKWNY3BYj/view?usp=sharing
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  67

  5 kingdom halls in New Addington for sale

  by usualusername1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had it confirmed today that 5 kingdom halls on one site in new addington are for sale.

  price being asked £3.5 million.. every witness in london worked on that site.

  am in shock.

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  Corney

  stan, just noticed you proved to be a kind of prophet.
• 
  67

  5 kingdom halls in New Addington for sale

  by usualusername1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had it confirmed today that 5 kingdom halls on one site in new addington are for sale.

  price being asked £3.5 million.. every witness in london worked on that site.

  am in shock.

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  Corney

  The above-mentioned listing has disappeared, the Addington Residents' Association announced that "it looks like it [the property] may have been sold now" (source, p. 5), and I think I know who is the purchaser and what is the sale price:

  https://www.hyderi.org.uk/event/saturday-2nd-night-mahe-ramadhan-sgm-notice/

  https://twitter.com/HyderiCentre/status/1256969168265580544

  https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/the-future-of-hyderi
  
  
  
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  8

  Anyone know the org's view on the HPV vaccine?

  by careful in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  types of cancer.i've been wondering for some time what the current gb has said about witness parents giving the green light, or red light, to having their kids vaccinated against hpv (the human papillomavirus) since it is a sexually transmitted disease.

  it causes cervical and other types of cancer.

  the recommended age for vaccination is 8-12 years old.

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  Corney

  This is apparently the only WT publication on HPV: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102005453

  The 2005 article admits that HPV may be transmitted in ways other than sexual contact but still states that abstinence and mutual monogamy are the best prevention methods. It doesn't address vaccination in details, which is understandable, given that (AFAIK) the first HPV vaccine became available only in 2006.

  This issue was not covered in more recent publications and the 2011 Correspondence Guidelines.
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  32

  IICSA hearings resume next week

  by Corney in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (iicsa) will hold additional virtual public hearings in the child protection in religious organisations and settings investigation next week.. the timetable was released today: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/20825/view/virtual-cpiros-timetable-week-3-10-august-2020.pdf .

  five witnesses will testify on the jw issue next monday and tuesday, 10 and 11 august:.

  - pr-a5, a victim abused by ministerial servant peter stewart;.

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  Corney

  slim, you're welcome.

  smiddy, no, it's a fact-finding body akin to the ARC.
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  32

  IICSA hearings resume next week

  by Corney in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (iicsa) will hold additional virtual public hearings in the child protection in religious organisations and settings investigation next week.. the timetable was released today: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/20825/view/virtual-cpiros-timetable-week-3-10-august-2020.pdf .

  five witnesses will testify on the jw issue next monday and tuesday, 10 and 11 august:.

  - pr-a5, a victim abused by ministerial servant peter stewart;.

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  Corney

  Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville (currently a senior technical advisor) on the Watch Tower Britain and Manchester New Moston inquiries:

  We clearly recognise the right of charities to challenge our decisions when they think that we have got it wrong, but we are on record as saying, in particular in respect of the Manchester New Moston and The Watchtower inquiries, that the level of legal challenge that we received, which I think numbered five in two years, is simply unprecedented. In the instance of -- I think it is separate for Watchtower, but in the instance of the Manchester New Moston inquiry, it was the primary factor why we were unable -- alongside the very limited co-operation that we received from the trustees and Watchtower as to why it took the length of time that it did. Essentially, we had to compile our findings independently of any engagement, or significant engagement, with either the trustees of Manchester New Moston or the branch -- the central office, and the only engagement that we received was at the end when we submitted the draft inquiry report for comments on factual accuracy.
  ...I think, overall, the characterisation or implication that somehow The Watchtower charity and the Branch Committee are fully co-operative with us is not a characterisation I would recognise.
  ...Most recently, we wrote to Watchtower with concerns about sufficiency of the policies and procedures that the congregations are using, with the expert and third party professional support. They responded with some concerns to those comments. I rang one of the Branch Committee members up in December, urging or requesting that we just simply meet face to face to discuss those items. They declined to do so, and, in response, we received pre-action correspondence of further potential litigation.
  ...the purpose of opening the inquiry into Watchtower was because, as a result of our earlier engagement, we understood that Watchtower was the charity that produced the child protection safeguarding policy for adoption by the congregations, and rather than us opening a class inquiry into 1,300 congregations, we sought to work directly at the centre. So the obstruction or the delays are, in our view, in a large part, due to the fact that Watchtower are not fully and actively co-operating with the inquiry. There is information we have requested that is outstanding.
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  32

  IICSA hearings resume next week

  by Corney in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (iicsa) will hold additional virtual public hearings in the child protection in religious organisations and settings investigation next week.. the timetable was released today: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/20825/view/virtual-cpiros-timetable-week-3-10-august-2020.pdf .

  five witnesses will testify on the jw issue next monday and tuesday, 10 and 11 august:.

  - pr-a5, a victim abused by ministerial servant peter stewart;.

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  Corney

  Is there any pressure on them to release this information? Or the figures in involved?

  Lloyd Evans (and probably that exJW group too) called for a separate investigation into the JWs and asked the Inquiry to request files from the branch (a recent example) but it's unclear whether the panel is willing to do this.

  Will the Kingdom Hall Trust, IBSA, and Watch Tower Britain be liable?

  There are various possible scenarios, but in most cases it will be possible to sue, depending on circumstances, WTB or KHT.

  Has Gillies ever explained whether long-standing elders have been questioned or checked for past involvement in child sexual abuse?

  No, afaik

  It seems to me that the Circuit Overseer and the elders in each congregation are responsible for appointments of elders and ministerial servants and so the body corporate cannot be held liable for compensation.

  Why? Elders act under supervision and control of CCJW/WTB, policies are established and disseminated by CCJW/WTB, circuit overseers are appointed and paid by CCJW/WTB, congregations are officially declared KHT branches etc. etc.