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A federal lawsuit filed in Eugene, Oregon, accuses The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of negligence after church leaders allegedly failed to report known child sexual abuse, allowing it to continue across state lines for months, Maxine Bernstein of the Oregonian/OregonLive reported Wednesday.
The case centers around “Julie Doe,” a woman who says she was repeatedly abused by her adoptive father, Craig McNeil Ford, after being placed in his Ridgefield, Washington, home as a foster child in 2013. The Fords adopted her in 2014, and the family regularly attended services at a local Mormon ward. In 2016, another child in the household discovered disturbing messages Ford had sent to Julie and informed his wife, Jenny Ford.
Instead of calling police, Jenny Ford reportedly sent the children to Montana and disclosed the situation to a church leader, Bishop Wade Pickett. According to the lawsuit, Pickett neither reported the abuse to authorities nor advised Jenny Ford to do so. Weeks later, Craig Ford allegedly took Julie from Montana to live with him alone in Albany, Oregon, where they continued attending local church services. Despite one church official expressing concern after Julie hinted she had a “difficult secret,” no further action was taken.
Ford was later convicted of abusing Julie in both Washington and Oregon and is now serving a 33-year sentence in an Oregon prison. Prior to that, he was also convicted of abusing another adopted daughter in 2018. Julie’s abuse came to light only after one of the couple’s biological daughters passed a handwritten note to a classmate referencing suspected sexual abuse. That note led to a police investigation and criminal charges.
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Peter Janci, seeks $25 million in damages—$20 million for emotional trauma and $5 million for medical and mental health treatment. “This case raises important questions about what appears to be continuing, systemic and widespread failures by the Mormon Church in responding to reports of child sexual abuse,” Janci said.
A church spokesperson, Sam Penrod, disputed the claims in the lawsuit and suggested that Julie Doe’s adoptive mother bore responsibility for not reporting the abuse. “The abuse of a child or any other individual is inexcusable… We have deep concern for all victims of abuse including the plaintiff,” Penrod said.
The lawsuit also references earlier abuse settlements involving the church, including multiple cases involving members of the Navajo Nation and a former church-run foster program. An Associated Press investigation in 2023 revealed the LDS Church’s internal “help line” for bishops does not retain any records of abuse reports, adding further criticism of how abuse is handled behind closed doors.
Julie Doe’s attorneys argue that the church’s inaction not only enabled further abuse but directly contradicts its stated commitment to protecting victims. Washington law currently does not require clergy to report child abuse, but a new bill aiming to close that loophole has been introduced by state lawmakers. In Oregon, clergy are mandatory reporters—though exemptions remain for privileged religious communications.
This case adds to growing national scrutiny of how the LDS Church manages abuse disclosures and may set another legal precedent in the fight to hold institutions accountable.
