A lawsuit has been filed in Utah alleging that leaders of a polygamous church routinely sexually abused underage girls as part of a religious ritual.
The plaintiff in the suit alleges that leaders of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, with headquarters in Hildale, Utah, would conduct these rituals five to six times a week from the time the plaintiff was 8 years old until she was 12.
Once she turned 14, the plaintiff said she was forced to watch and document other girls’ ritualistic abuse with church leaders.
FLDS president Warren Jeffs already sits in prison for sexually assaulting two girls, and his brother Lyle Jeffs was recently sentenced to five years for defrauding the federal government.
No new criminal charges have been filed, but the lawsuit says the church and its former land trust – are liable for the damages sought.