SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Sex abuse litigation involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is moving in several directions at once in 2026. Some claims are being resolved through private settlement talks, while others are advancing in federal and state courts in Oregon, West Virginia, Illinois, New Jersey and Nevada.
The cases allege patterns of abuse by church members and leaders, along with failures to report, remove, or warn about accused individuals. Several disputes also center on whether the church had a legal duty to protect minors from people who were not direct church employees but were connected to congregations, youth programs, or local leadership structures.
Private settlement talks are keeping many claims out of open court
One of the biggest developments this year is the church’s use of a confidential claims process for some survivors. Lawyers representing claimants submit inventories describing each case, and the church’s lawyers review them outside normal courtroom procedures. Mediators may help, but there is no jury trial, no public hearing, and little judicial oversight.
That structure is very different from a multidistrict litigation or class action. Survivors who are not already working with participating law firms may not know the process exists, and confidentiality terms limit what becomes public about the allegations, the response by church leaders, or the size of any payments.
Advocates for plaintiffs say the arrangement reflects the church’s willingness to pay substantial sums to resolve claims quietly. They also say it gives survivors a chance at compensation without years of motions, appeals, and trial risk. At the same time, the secrecy leaves unanswered questions about how widespread the misconduct may have been.
Oregon judge rejects a duty-to-protect theory in one case
In September, a federal judge in Oregon dismissed sexual abuse claims brought by a woman who said church leaders knew she was being abused by her adoptive father but failed to intervene or report the abuse. The judge ruled that Oregon law did not create the kind of civil duty the plaintiff needed for her negligence claims because the abuse happened at home, outside direct church supervision.
The court also rejected arguments that the state’s mandatory reporting law, or the church’s own internal abuse policies, created a civil obligation to keep the lawsuit alive. The ruling was a win for the church, but only on the particular facts of that case.
Lawyers for survivors say many other cases look very different. In those matters, the accused person is often a bishop, leader, volunteer, or other trusted figure who had access to children through church activities. Those claims, they argue, present a much stronger argument that the institution itself had a duty to act.
West Virginia high court puts key evidence back into play
The West Virginia Supreme Court delivered another important decision in July when it reversed a lower court ruling that had kept some evidence out of a major case involving Michael Jensen. Jensen is described in the litigation as the son and grandson of prominent church leaders.
Plaintiffs allege Jensen sexually abused multiple children and that church leaders were warned before the abuse continued. They say he still had access to children through homes, babysitting arrangements, and church-connected settings. The lower court had limited evidence the plaintiffs could use to show what the church knew and how it handled earlier complaints.
By sending that evidence back into the case, the state’s highest court made the claims more serious for the defense. If the plaintiffs can show a pattern of warnings, internal handling, and continued access to children, they could strengthen arguments that the church failed to protect vulnerable families.
New lawsuits in Illinois, New Jersey and Nevada broaden the claims
New filings this year show how geographically wide the litigation has become. In Illinois, a lawsuit alleges that church leaders allowed a former leader and registered sex offender to remain around children in Rockford despite earlier abuse allegations. The complaint says he later sexually abused a young girl in the early 2000s.
In New Jersey, a man says a church branch president began grooming him when he was 13, then sexually assaulted him over about two years in Paterson. The suit alleges that church entities failed to investigate, warn families, or remove the leader from contact with minors. It also says the leader used gifts, transportation, tuition promises, and threats tied to immigration status to silence the boy.
A federal case in Nevada adds another claim based on alleged abuse by the plaintiff’s father, who was a member of the church. That suit says the church had authority and responsibility over minors in the congregation and should have protected the child from repeated assaults between about 1998 and 2003.
California remains the center of the largest group of claims
California continues to be the biggest battleground for LDS abuse litigation. In April 2025, nearly 100 lawsuits were filed there, and the cases were later placed into a Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding in Los Angeles. One Modesto case alleges abuse that began when the plaintiff was six and continued for years across multiple church settings.
Another major development came in June 2025, when the church agreed in principle to settle more than 100 California claims during private mediation. The cases involved allegations of childhood sexual abuse by church leaders, including bishops, along with claims that abuse was handled internally rather than reported. The settlement terms were kept confidential.
Earlier, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation refused to create a federal MDL for more than 40 related cases. The panel said the differences among the claims were too large, including differences in timing, abuse allegations, and the conduct of church leaders.
Settlement values and liability questions continue to shape the cases
Attorneys handling these claims say the likely value of a successful case depends on several factors: the strength of the proof, the age of the victim, the seriousness and duration of the abuse, the church’s knowledge, and whether the accused person held a position of trust. Published examples in the litigation range from six-figure settlements to verdicts in the millions and even billions.
Recent examples cited in the litigation include a $32 million West Virginia settlement involving Michael Jensen, a $995,000 California settlement, a $1.1 million Washington settlement, and a $5 million Oregon settlement. A California jury also returned a $2.28 billion verdict in a case involving a woman abused by her LDS stepfather, though the church and other defendants did not bear that entire amount.
The broader legal fight is not just about money. It also centers on what church leaders knew, whether they failed to report abuse, and whether internal systems protected the institution more than children. As more cases move forward, the pressure on the church to resolve claims remains high.
