People's Justice

Case guide

After a harmful bishop interview: what to ask

Ask about support and legal choices one at a time. The order that grouped Church cases does not decide what happened in your meeting.

See If You Qualify

Free · No obligation · About 2 minutes

Updated Oct 4, 202610 sources

This may apply to you if

  • Ask a lawyer about sexual abuse by a person linked to the LDS Church.
  • Explain the place, years and your age when the abuse happened.
  • Describe the person’s role and any reports or responses you remember.

What the public record says

These are cited sources. Their inclusion does not imply that they endorse People’s Justice or reviewed this page.

Karen K. Caldwell · United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation · Chair of the panel issuing the April 3, 2025 order

Finding: The panel denied the request to group the listed LDS abuse cases. It said individual reports of abuse and the responses to those reports would be important facts in each case.

Order Denying Transfer, LDS sexual abuse litigation, April 3, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · Apr 3, 2025 · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The evidence and its limits

United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation · 2025

What the LDS grouping order reviewed

Design:
Other study design
Participants:
Listed civil actions and their varied allegations; no enrolled patients.
Finding:
The panel refused the listed grouping request and said individual reports and responses would matter.
Main limitation
A court coordination review does not establish abuse, fault, a clinical diagnosis or current case status.

Read the source: What the LDS grouping order reviewed (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The short answer

Where can I begin if the interview harmed me?
RAINN describes support and referrals for survivors. Ask what kind of help is available. A support call is separate from a claim check. [5]
Do I have to rely on a Church response?
The Church’s guide says to listen and avoid blaming survivors. That is its guidance, not proof every leader followed it. Ask about outside support and legal resources as well. [3]
Will an interview claim be grouped with all LDS cases?
The April 2025 panel order refused the listed grouping request. It described varied facts across cases. It does not set one path for every later claim. [1]
What should I ask about privacy before a legal check?
Many federal court filings are public. Some information can be protected under specific rules. Ask what would apply to your name and files. [9]

What rules a case out

Not covered by this case

  • A policy, role or published allegation does not prove your claim.
  • No personal deadline, firm acceptance, payment or privacy guarantee is given.

The process

What happens next

  1. 01

    You answer a few questions

    About two minutes. Nothing is sent until you agree on the last step and press submit.

  2. 02

    A lawyer looks at it

    A lawyer at the firm reads your answers and checks them against the current case criteria.

  3. 03

    The firm decides and gets in touch

    If the firm takes your case, you get the terms in writing to read before you sign. You can always say no.

Where can I begin if the interview harmed me?

RAINN describes support and referrals for survivors. Ask what kind of help is available. A support call is separate from a claim check.

Choose a safe time and device before making contact. Start by saying what help you want today. Ask whether you can pause the conversation or use a different contact method.

Do I have to rely on a Church response?

The Church’s guide says to listen and avoid blaming survivors. That is its guidance, not proof every leader followed it. Ask about outside support and legal resources as well.

Keep your care needs separate from any response the institution gave. You can ask an outside professional to explain available options. Do not treat an internal reply as a court ruling or deadline review.

Will an interview claim be grouped with all LDS cases?

The April 2025 panel order refused the listed grouping request. It described varied facts across cases. It does not set one path for every later claim.

Ask which court or process would handle the actual claim you want reviewed. If a firm already represents you, begin there. Give a second lawyer any existing agreement before discussing new representation.

What should I ask about privacy before a legal check?

Many federal court filings are public. Some information can be protected under specific rules. Ask what would apply to your name and files.

A private first conversation and a later public court filing are different stages. Ask who runs the intake form and how contact details are stored. No page can promise anonymity for every case.

What should I ask if I want support first?

Say what help you want today and how you can be reached safely. Ask about reporting limits before giving more detail.

What would a legal inquiry authorize?

Ask if the firm would give advice or take on the case. Read the scope and costs before treating a first call as representation.

Scientific evidence for this case

LDS Church Abuse · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · 2023Cross-sectional

Institutional Betrayal and Clergy Sexual Abuse: Impact on Disclosure, Reporting, and Psychological Outcomes

Survivors who experienced institutional betrayal (e.g., Church concealment of abuse, victim-blaming by leaders) had PTSD symptom severity scores 2.3x higher than survivors who did not experience institutional betrayal

LDS Church Abuse · Journal of Trauma and Dissociation · 2022Cross-sectional

Religious Institutional Abuse: Long-Term Psychological Outcomes in Adult Survivors

Clergy abuse survivors showed elevated complex PTSD rates (78%) compared to other sexual abuse survivors (45%)

LDS Church Abuse · Child Abuse & Neglect · 2018Cross-sectional

Mandated Reporter Compliance in Religious Institutions: A National Survey

41% of surveyed religious leaders were unaware of their mandatory reporting obligations in their state

Find out where you stand.

The review is free and private. Asking for it doesn’t commit you to anything.

Register your interest

Sources

  1. JPML: LDS sexual abuse order denying transfer, April 3, 2025www.jpml.uscourts.gov · court
  2. Church Newsroom: its help-line statement, August 5, 2022newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org
  3. Church guide: helping someone who has been abusedwww.churchofjesuschrist.org · study
  4. RAINN: National Sexual Assault Hotline contactrainn.org
  5. RAINN: what to expect from the hotlinerainn.org
  6. ABA Model Rule 1.5: fees and expenseswww.americanbar.org
  7. SDNY: filing time limits require legal researchnysd.uscourts.gov · court
  8. U.S. Courts: federal civil claims and evidencewww.uscourts.gov · court
  9. U.S. Courts: public access and privacy in federal fileswww.uscourts.gov · study
  10. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell (D. Utah) granted summary judgment to insurers National Union and ACE, ruling they owed the LDS Church no duty to defend or indemnify for its mid-trial 2018 settlement of the Doe-1 (Michael Jensen) West Virginia child sexual abuse suit; church appealed to the 10th Circuit (No. 25-4049). Settlement amount is sealed in court records. On July 28, 2026, the Tenth Circuit reversed the grant of summary judgment to the insurers and remanded for further proceedings.fox13now.com · Apr 3, 2025

Checked against 5 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated

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