People's Justice

Case guide

What the LDS abuse help line is described to do

The Church says its line advises local leaders about reports. That account does not prove how your report was handled or decide your rights.

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

Who is the Church’s help line described to serve?
The Church says the line advises local volunteer leaders. It describes help with abuse reporting duties. This is the institution’s own account. [2]
Does its stated purpose prove a report was handled well?
No. A policy statement does not prove what happened to your report. The LDS court order says each report and reply matter. [2]
Is it the same as RAINN’s survivor support line?
RAINN is a separate source of survivor support. Ask what help it offers. Check its privacy and reporting limits before contact. [5]
What should I ask about a legal review of the response?
Ask what claim the records may support and which law applies. The panel did not decide Church fault. Your response timeline needs its own proof check. [1]

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.

Who is the Church’s help line described to serve?

The Church says the line advises local volunteer leaders. It describes help with abuse reporting duties. This is the institution’s own account.

A line for leaders and a support resource for survivors have different roles. Ask who runs any service before making contact. Do not assume the Church line provides independent legal advice for you.

Does its stated purpose prove a report was handled well?

No. A policy statement does not prove what happened to your report. The LDS court order says each report and reply matter.

Keep your actual report and any reply beside the general statement. Note the date and recipient. If someone says a call occurred, record how you learned that rather than guessing the contents.

Is it the same as RAINN’s survivor support line?

RAINN is a separate source of survivor support. Ask what help it offers. Check its privacy and reporting limits before contact.

RAINN lists 800-656-4673 for the National Sexual Assault Hotline. That is a support number, not this site’s legal intake number. Choose a safe device and place before contact.

What should I ask about a legal review of the response?

Ask what claim the records may support and which law applies. The panel did not decide Church fault. Your response timeline needs its own proof check.

Bring the materials you already have and identify missing items. Ask how to seek other records without contacting an alleged abuser. Request a personal deadline check before relying on an old policy date.

What should I ask before using a support service?

Check who operates the service and whom it is meant to help. Ask how its privacy and reporting limits apply to the conversation.

What should a lawyer compare with the policy statement?

Bring the actual report and response you hold. Ask which legal question they answer rather than treating the statement as proof.

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

How we make money

People's Justice research team · Updated Oct 4, 2026