Mormon church wants abuse case dismissed

Monday, December 17, 2007  

The Mormon church has filed a motion for summary judgment in the case of a Sioux man who said he was abused as a boy by a Mormon missionary.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints says the case should end before going to trial. The church says Ferris Joseph, 52, hasn't produced evidence of abuse, that the statute of limitations has expired and that the church can't be held liable for the actions of its missionaries.

Joseph, a member of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, says he was abused by Robert Lewis White in the late 1960s when he was 11 or 12 years old. The incidents allegedly occurred in Flandreau, where the tribe is based and where White was stationed.

Get the Story:
Sexual abuse case: LDS Church wants resolution before trial (AP 12/16)

Related Stories:
Lawyers behind failed BIA abuse case file new suit (9/11)Sioux man files abuse lawsuit against Mormon church (9/5)
Lawyer in $25B abuse case to file claim with BIA (11/17)
Judge dismisses $25B BIA boarding school suit (11/08)
Canada slow to compensate Native abuse victims (11/5)
Canada wants abuse victim to return settlement (09/17)
Anderson eyes changes in BIA school system (07/23)
South Dakota Indians sue churches over abuse (07/13)
Suit alleges abuse at Indian boarding schools (7/2)
Apology resolution faces additional delays under Bush (06/22)
High-profile bills delayed by Senate committee (6/17)
Consideration of U.S. apology resolution delayed (05/20)
Apology from U.S. requested by Kansas Senator (5/19)
Tim Giago: Abuse suit lawyers are questionable (05/15)
Indian boarding school abuse suit seeks $25B (4/14)