Editing Mormon abuse cases (section)

===Joseph Bishop case===
{{anchor|2018 allegations of 1984 LDS missionary-trainees' abuse}}

In March 2018, MormonLeaks, a [[watchdog website]], released a December 2, 2017 recording, taken in a [[Chandler, Arizona]] hotel conference room, of an interview of [[Joseph Bishop]], a former [[LDS Church]] [[mission president]], then 85, by McKenna Denson, a 55-year-old woman from [[Pueblo, Colorado]]. In the recording, Denson, who first poses as a [[LDS Church|Latter-day Saint]] sectarian faith reporter, accuses Bishop of having abused her in January 1984, while he was her mission president at the [[Missionary Training Center]] in [[Provo, Utah]], taking her to his private study with a day bed, tearing open her blouse pulling up her skirt, and successfully penetrated her against her will,<ref name="sltrib2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/04/05/woman-sues-the-lds-church-for-what-she-says-was-abuse-by-missionary-training-center-president/|title=Woman sues the LDS Church, says she was raped by Missionary Training Center president|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref> her being spared continuation of the rape due to his erectile dysfunction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fox13now.com/2018/03/21/family-of-former-lds-mission-president-accused-of-sexual-assault-responds-to-allegations/|title=Family of former LDS mission president accused of sexual assault responds to allegations|date=22 March 2018|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eastidahonews.com/2018/03/woman-confronts-lds-church-official-alleged-sex-assault/ |title=Woman confronts LDS Church official about alleged sex assault |publisher=East Idaho News |date= 21 March 2018|accessdate=2018-03-21}}</ref>

In December 2020, the case was dismissed at the request of both the church and Denson.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/12/10/mckenna-denson-lds-church/#:~:text=McKenna%20Denson%20made%20headlines%20in,the%20faith's%20flagship%20Missionary%20Training|title = McKenna Denson, LDS Church agree to drop lawsuit over sexual misconduct by a former Missionary Training Center president}}</ref>

====Timeline of reportages====
Denson may have reported the abuse to her subsequent [[Washington, D.C.]], mission-field leader in 1984 or 1985.<ref name="azcentral1">{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-investigations/2018/03/24/amid-quiet-life-chandler-explosive-sexual-assault-allegations-hit-mormon-leader/449975002/ |title=Amid quiet life in Chandler, sex-assault allegations hit Mormon leader |publisher=Azcentral.com |date= |accessdate=2018-03-24}}</ref> In 1987, she reported it to her local congregation's bishop, Ron Leavitt, a microbiology professor at [[Brigham Young University]] (BYU).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kutv.com/news/local/woman-who-accused-mtc-president-of-sexual-assault-has-been-telling-her-story-for-3-decades|title=Woman who accused MTC president of sexual assault has been telling her story for 3 decades|first=Chris|last=Jones|date=22 March 2018|publisher=}}</ref> (Leavitt told the ''[[Salt Lake Tribune]]'' in 2018, "I felt the allegations were groundless" because, among other factors, his assumption potential MTC presidents receive extensive vettings.<ref name="sltrib.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/03/22/former-missionary-training-center-president-admits-to-asking-a-young-missionary-to-expose-her-breasts-in-the-80s-byu-police-say/|title=Former Missionary Training Center president admits to asking a young missionary to expose her breasts in the '80s, BYU police say|publisher=}}</ref>) Per some reports, what Leavitt was told was that Denson and another missionary were taken by the MTC president to the basement of the MTC and shown pornography.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://kutv.com/news/local/woman-who-accused-mtc-president-of-sexual-assault-has-been-telling-her-story-for-3-decades|title=Woman who accused MTC president of sexual assault has been telling her story for 3 decades|first=Chris|last=Jones|date=March 22, 2018|website=KUTV}}</ref> Denson says that in 1988 she told at least one LDS Church [[general authority]], [[Carlos Asay]]. Asay has since died and the LDS Church states it has no record of Denson's meeting with Asay.

In 2010, Denson told her local [[Pleasant Grove, Utah]], ecclesiastical leaders, who referred the matter to local police. Pleasant Grove police made a routine call to the Denson's home verifying she did not need emergency assistance and did not open an investigation of her accusations<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/faith/lds-church-responds-to-allegations-of-sexual-abuse-by-former/article_ebd998f1-473e-5a70-841f-7407ca824e34.html|title=LDS Church responds to allegations of sexual abuse by former Provo MTC president|first=Genelle Pugmire Daily|last=Herald|publisher=|access-date=2018-03-26|archive-date=2018-03-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321040642/https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/faith/lds-church-responds-to-allegations-of-sexual-abuse-by-former/article_ebd998f1-473e-5a70-841f-7407ca824e34.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="fox13now.com">{{cite web|url=http://fox13now.com/2018/03/22/woman-who-accused-former-mtc-leader-of-sexual-assault-will-pursue-a-civil-lawsuit-against-the-lds-church/|title=Woman who accused former MTC leader of sexual assault will pursue a civil lawsuit against the LDS Church|date=22 March 2018|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/former-mormon-missionary-center-leader-accused-of-sexual-assault_us_5ab3d179e4b008c9e5f51560|title=Former Mormon Missionary Center Leader Accused Of Sexual Assault|first=Carol|last=Kuruvilla|date=22 March 2018|publisher=|via=Huff Post}}</ref> because they had occurred outside of Pleasant Grove's jurisdiction.<ref name="deseretnews1">{{cite web|last=Walch |first=Tad |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013796/lds-church-says-a-second-missionary-made-sexual-abuse-allegation-against-former-mtc-president.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324012329/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013796/lds-church-says-a-second-missionary-made-sexual-abuse-allegation-against-former-mtc-president.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 24, 2018 |title=LDS Church says a second missionary made sexual abuse allegation against former MTC president |publisher=Deseret News |date= 23 March 2018|accessdate=2018-03-24}}</ref>

====Recording====
Within the recording, Joseph Bishop says he does not remember his interactions with Denson transpiring in the manner she describes. Bishop says that while president over the MTC he engaged in inappropriate behaviors of which he regrets, involving more than one young woman serving at the MTC, including having given a [[back rub]] that became "too frisky" to a young-woman once-missionary trainee who served as his and his wife's assistant at his family's home.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kauffman |first=Don |url=http://kjzz.com/news/local/lds-church-responds-to-allegations-of-sexual-assault-by-former-mission-president |title=LDS Church responds to allegations of sexual assault by former mission president |publisher=KJZZ |date= 21 March 2018|accessdate=2018-03-21}}</ref> (This then-assistant to Bishop's family later reported the 1985 abuse by him to her bishop in 2010.<ref name="deseretnews1"/>)

Bishop said that some young women missionary trainees at the MTC would have [[flashback (psychology)|flashbacks]] to previous experiences of sexual trauma and would [[pastoral counseling|counsel]] with MTC leaders (in [[worthiness interview]]s) for spiritual guidance; he said he was "the last person who should have been" providing pastoral counseling to these young women.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.religionnews.com/2018/03/20/retired-mormon-mission-president-admits-he-molested-a-female-missionary/ |title=Retired Mormon mission president admits he molested a female missionary|publisher=Religion News Service |website=religionnews.com |date=2016-09-27 |accessdate=2018-03-22}}</ref>

====Joseph Bishop's responses====
Joseph Bishop's son and attorney, Greg Bishop of [[Park City, Utah]],<ref>{{cite web|author=Tess Vigeland |url=https://www.marketplace.org/2012/08/10/life/mormons-and-provident-living |title=Mormons and provident living |publisher=Marketplace.org |date=2012-08-10 |accessdate=2018-03-24}}</ref> told reporters that at the time of the interview, his father and client was on medications and recovering from surgery, and lacked mental acuity, and that many of his statements in the recording reflect this confusion.

Furthermore, Greg Bishop said that sometime after Denson returned to Provo, Utah, from Washington D.C., she showed her breasts to Joseph Bishop without solicitation.<ref name="deseretnews1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013586/police-report-sheds-more-light-on-accusations-against-former-mtc-president.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322123124/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013586/police-report-sheds-more-light-on-accusations-against-former-mtc-president.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 22, 2018|title=Police report sheds more light on accusations against former MTC president|first=Tad|last=Walch|website=[[Deseret News]] |date=21 March 2018|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/03/21/us/ap-us-mormon-church-sexual-assault.html|title=Former Mormon Mission President Accused of Sexual Assault|agency=Associated Press|date=2018-03-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-03-22|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Denson has denied this, stating that the last time she met with Bishop was at the time of the assault: "I did not speak to that man again until Dec. 2, 2017."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/04/05/woman-accusing-missionary-training-center-president-of-rape-stands-in-front-of-cameras-to-say-she-is-a-victim/|title=Woman accusing Missionary Training Center president of rape wants justice — and policy changes in the LDS Church|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref> BYU police stated that, during their 2017 investigation, Bishop told them that at the MTC, he asked Denson to show him her breasts.<ref name="sltrib1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/03/22/former-missionary-training-center-president-admits-to-asking-a-young-missionary-to-expose-her-breasts-in-the-80s-byu-police-say/|title=Former Missionary Training Center president admits to asking a young missionary to expose her breasts in the '80s, BYU police say|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|access-date=2018-03-22}}</ref> (Bishop's son and attorney says his father and client does not remember making that statement to police.<ref name="azcentral1"/>) The [[Utah County]] attorney's office said that it likely would have prosecuted Bishop if Utah's [[statute of limitations]] for [[rape]] (which up until the 1990s had been four years) had not expired. The case was closed December 23, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/utah-county-attorney-s-office-reportedly-closed-case-against-former/article_465e7644-fee8-5bff-a3d7-9011567d7814.html|title=Utah County Attorney's Office reportedly closed case against former MTC president|first=Rhett Wilkinson Daily|last=Herald|work=Daily Herald|publisher=|access-date=2018-03-26|archive-date=2018-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322192956/https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/utah-county-attorney-s-office-reportedly-closed-case-against-former/article_465e7644-fee8-5bff-a3d7-9011567d7814.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Greg Bishop distributed to the news media excerpts from a dossier compiled by attorney David Jordan of [[Stoel Rives]], who had been hired by the LDS Church, which contained Denson's LDS Church membership record, and which detailed the history of investigations of Denson's accusations within various jurisdictions, as well as for alleged crimes such as criminal [[fraud]]. Denson had reported over a half-dozen times that she was assaulted by numerous men on numerous separate occasions. Jordan's dossier says that Denson later retracted her initial accusations on certain occasions as having been false. None of these accusations have been prosecuted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/03/22/former-missionary-training-center-president-admits-to-asking-a-young-missionary-to-expose-her-breasts-in-the-80s-byu-police-say/|title=Former Missionary Training Center president admits to asking a young missionary to expose her breasts in the '80s, BYU police say|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Kiersten Nuñez|url=http://fox13now.com/2018/03/21/family-of-former-lds-mission-president-accused-of-sexual-assault-responds-to-allegations/ |title=Family of former LDS mission president accused of sexual assault responds to allegations |publisher=Fox13|location=Salt Lake City|date= 22 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/04/04/a-woman-was-shocked-to-see-her-name-in-a-mormon-church-compiled-dossier-which-she-says-was-designed-to-discredit-her-birth-mother/|title=A woman was shocked to see her name in a Mormon church-compiled dossier — which she says was designed to discredit her birth mother|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kutv.com/news/local/exclusive-documents-reveal-how-the-lds-church-responded-to-mtc-sex-scandal|title=Exclusive: Documents reveal how the LDS Church responded to MTC sex scandal|first=Chris|last=Jones|date=March 30, 2018|website=KUTV}}</ref>

====Litigation====
{{anchor|Denson v. Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The et al}}
The accuser's legal counsel, Craig Vernon, made the LDS Church aware of the recording in January 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/statement-former-mission-president-alleged-abuse-joseph-l-bishop-march-2018|title=Church Statement About Alleged Sexual Assault by Former Mission President|date=2018-03-20|work=www.mormonnewsroom.org|access-date=2018-03-22}}</ref> [[Settlement agreement|Settlement negotiations]] between Denson and church were in progress when the recording was publicly released in March 2018 by MormonLeaks, which she had not initially authorized.<ref name="sltrib1"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Walch |first=Tad |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013479/woman-levels-accusations-against-former-mtc-president.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321121321/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013479/woman-levels-accusations-against-former-mtc-president.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 21, 2018 |title=Woman levels accusations against former MTC president |publisher=Deseret News |date= 21 March 2018|accessdate=2018-03-22}}</ref> but came to do so, after the fact.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mormonleaks.io/newsroom/2018/03/24/statement-on-behalf-of-victim-in-joseph-l-bishop-audio/ |title=Statement on Behalf of the Victim in Joseph L. Bishop Audio Recording|publisher=MormonLeaks |date=2018-03-24 |accessdate=2018-04-08}}</ref> After the recording became public, the negotiations stalled. On April 4, 2018, Denson filed [[civil suit]] in the [[United States District Court for the District of Utah|U.S. District Court for Utah]] against the church and Joseph Bishop for redress with respect to her mental, physical, and economic hardships caused by the alleged sexual assault and battery, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, fraudulent nondisclosure and fraudulent concealment.<ref>{{cite web|last=Walch |first=Tad |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900014957/woman-files-suit-against-lds-church-and-former-mtc-president.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405082711/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900014957/woman-files-suit-against-lds-church-and-former-mtc-president.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 5, 2018 |title=Woman files suit against LDS Church and former MTC president |publisher=Deseret News |date=2018-04-04 |accessdate=2018-04-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Ben Winslow|url=http://fox13now.com/2018/04/04/woman-who-accused-ex-mtc-president-of-rape-to-sue-lds-church/ |title=Woman who accused ex-MTC president of sexual assault sues LDS Church |publisher=Fox13|location=Salt Lake City|date=2018-04-05 }}</ref><ref name="sltrib2"/><ref name="fox13now.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kdhnews.com/news/nation/the-latest-woman-says-ex-mormon-missionary-leader-raped-her/article_fc77a13a-d2e4-5662-a788-b738c8e54358.html|title=The Latest: Woman says ex-Mormon missionary leader raped her|publisher=|access-date=2018-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323092902/http://kdhnews.com/news/nation/the-latest-woman-says-ex-mormon-missionary-leader-raped-her/article_fc77a13a-d2e4-5662-a788-b738c8e54358.html|archive-date=2018-03-23|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On May 15, 2018, attorneys representing both Joseph Bishop and the LDS Church filed motions to dismiss Denson's suit, arguing that the statute of limitations for Denson to file these claims had expired long before.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pierce |first1=Scott D. |last2=Miller |first2=Jessica |last3=McCann |first3=Sheila |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/05/16/lds-church-seeks-to-dismiss-lawsuit-accusing-former-mtc-president-of-rape/ |title=LDS Church wants court to dismiss lawsuit accusing former MTC president of rape, saying it wasn't filed in time |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=May 17, 2018 |accessdate=May 25, 2018}}</ref> On August 13, 2018, U.S. District Judge [[Dale A. Kimball]] dismissed most of the lawsuit, except for its fraud allegations against the LDS Church.<ref>{{cite web |last=Winslow |first=Ben |url=https://fox13now.com/2018/08/13/judge-dismisses-womans-sex-abuse-lawsuit-against-ex-missionary-training-center-president/ |title=Judge dismisses most of sex assault lawsuit against LDS Church, ex-MTC president |date=August 13, 2018| publisher=Fox 13 |accessdate=August 16, 2018}}</ref>

In May 2019, Denson's lawyers asked to be removed from the case with the judge approving the request on the same day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/06/03/mckenna-denson-looking/|title = McKenna Denson looking for new lawyers after hers quit MTC sexual abuse lawsuit against LDS Church}}</ref>

==== LDS Church's responses====
The church hired an outside law firm to interview Bishop, his accusers, and others. The church had been made aware of a second accuser in 2010. No action was taken at the time because of Bishop's adamant denial of the accusations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/03/23/mormon-leaders-knew-of-two-alleged-victims-of-former-missionary-training-center-president-in-2010/|title=Mormon leaders knew of two alleged victims of former Missionary Training Center president in 2010|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref> Ron Leavitt stated that in the 1980s, while he was serving as Denson's bishop, she told him that Joseph Bishop had taken her and her missionary companion to the basement of the MTC, and showed them pornography. Leavitt stated that he did not share this information with anyone at the time. "I didn't think it had much credence. I wasn't going to risk sullying the reputation of someone based on that kind of a report," Leavitt told the news media in 2018.<ref name="auto"/>

In March 2018, the LDS Church publicized its abuse resource [[hotline]] for use by local church leaders, and released a resource document that says, in part, "Church leaders should never disregard a report of abuse or counsel a member not to report criminal activity to law enforcement personnel."<ref>{{cite web|last=Walch |first=Tad |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013999/lds-first-presidency-letter-directs-leaders-to-review-teach-policies-on-preventing-responding-to-sex-abuse.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327072518/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013999/lds-first-presidency-letter-directs-leaders-to-review-teach-policies-on-preventing-responding-to-sex-abuse.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |title=Updated LDS policy allows another adult to sit in on leaders' interviews with children and women |publisher=Deseret News |date=2018-03-26 |accessdate=2018-04-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-presidency-encourages-leaders-worldwide-prevent-respond-abuse?__prclt=Hr0UJOU0 |title=First Presidency Directs Leaders to Prevent and Respond to Abuse |publisher=Mormonnewsroom.org |date=2018-03-26 |accessdate=2018-04-08}}</ref>