'Much like the sexual abuse cases against the Catholic Church, the Lewises’ cases could hinge on what records, if any, were kept by the church. Zalkin said he believes there are documents that will prove the church was aware of the alleged abuse.
He said Watchtower issued a “body of elders letter” in 1997 to all congregations in the United States “telling them they are to provide to the Watchtower all of the information that they have in their confidential files of anyone who has ever been accused of child molestation.”
Zalkin said, “There’s documentation. I guarantee you there’s documentation.”
However, Watchtower has yet to provide such information in all the previous lawsuits against it.
“We have made a document production request for those records in every case that we have with the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Zalkin said. “They refuse to produce that documentation.”
In one case in California the trial court dismissed the group’s defense and entered a default judgment against it for refusing to abide by the court’s order to produce the information, according to Zalkin.
That ruling was contested before the California Supreme Court and upheld, he said.
In cases that were already filed, the church has indicated it will not produce any documents, he said.
“They have issued a writing to our law firm saying, ‘Under no circumstances will we ever produce these records,’” Zalkin said.
“So, we’re going to see what that’s going to mean for them in these lawsuits, because I don’t think courts are going to let them get away with that.”
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20141001/NEWS03/710019905