The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church, is facing at least seven new lawsuits that accuse it of playing a role in covering up sex abuse among Boy Scout troops in Arizona. Earlier this year, the Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy amid tens of thousands of sexual abuse lawsuits implicating troop leaders and other volunteers in incidents stretching back decades. The new lawsuits allege that Mormon officials ignored reports of abuse from youths, and that troop leaders and volunteers remained in the Scouts organization despite allegations against them. The new cases were filed just ahead of Arizona’s end-of-year deadline for adult victims of child sex abuse to sue, according to the law firm. The church pulled 400,000 of its members from the Boy Scouts as the youth organization faced heightened scrutiny, a slew of sex abuse lawsuits, and when the Scouts recently embraced openly gay and transgender members.

Source: Fox News December 30, 2020 00:56 UTC