Lawsuit filed on behalf of Navajo children abused in Mormon Placement Program
GALLUP
Five years after the Navajo Supreme Court entered a landmark decision on allegations of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest, another lawsuit has been filed claiming that Mormon Church officials failed to take action when Navajo students in their placement program were abused by members of their order.
Two Navajos, who were children in the late 70s and early 80s living in Sawmill, Ariz., filed a lawsuit in Window Rock District Court last week claiming multiple cases of sexual abuse while they were part of a placement program sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Listed as RJ and MM in the suit, the two said that families they were placed with abused them sexually numerous times.
RJ, who said the abuse began when he was about 10 years old, said he brought the abuse to the attention of church officials but they failed to step in and stop it. He added that he was replaced with one family where he was abused after he complained.
In all, he said MM, who is his sister, and two other sisters were all abused. He teared up at a press conference recounting how he was forced to watch his sister being abused.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow