http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=49486
Associated Press has picked up the story!GO KIMBERLEE!
Lawsuit filed against Jehovahs WitnessesIt claims the church ignored sexual abuse against a child.The Associated Press
October 7, 2002CORVALLIS A Corvallis man has filed a $3 million suit against two local Jehovahs Witness congregations and its national headquarters, claiming leaders ignored the sexual abuse he suffered as a child.The complaint, filed in Benton County, alleges that when Tyler Davidow, now in his early 20s, was 4 or 5, a fellow Jehovahs Witness member abused him. His mother, Cathy Davidow, contends that when she went to the elders of the church, they did nothing to stop the abuse.Jim Riffe, an elder from the north Corvallis congregation, said he couldnt comment on the situation because he didnt know anything about it and hadnt been served with court papers yet.Well address the matter when we are informed of it through the proper channels, Riffe said.Steve Cuda, an elder from the north Albany congregation, also said he hadnt heard of the complaint.People at the national headquarters of Jehovahs Witnesses in Brooklyn, N.Y., didnt know of the suit either.However, spokesman J.R. Brown said that Jehovahs Witnesses deal strictly with child abuse within the congregation but that it isnt the churchs job to report abuse.Nothing prevents them from calling the authorities, Brown said. They dont have to call us first. These things operate separately. If the offender is part of the congregation, we will deal with it in a church setting. But if they are also reported to the authorities, we will not try to shield them.According to the lawsuit, Cathy Davidow owned a store in Corvallis in the 1980s. While she worked, she often let Tyler play in a storage area.Both were members of the north Albany congregation. In 1984, Cathy Davidow employed a woman who was a member of the north Corvallis congregation.According to the lawsuit, the woman often brought her teenage son with her to work, and he often stayed with Tyler in the storage area while the women worked.In 1985, according to the complaint, Tyler told his mother that the teenager had been sexually abusing him for a year, and she went to the elders of her church.Kimberlee Norris, the Fort Worth attorney handling the case, said Jehovahs Witnesses encourage church members to take complaints to the church leaders.The control issue is so strong in Jehovahs Witness congregations, Norris said. The setup is such that the elders are the voice of the Watchtower (the name of the Jehovahs Witness headquarters), and the Watchtower is the voice of Christ.Marion and Polk counties are home to about a dozen congregations of Jehovahs Witnesses. There are churches in Dallas, Stayton, Salem, Woodburn, Keizer and Independence.According to the suit, when Davidow went to the elders of the church, they told her they would research the problem and take care of it, and that she shouldnt tell anyone else about it.The suit claims no action was taken.Oregon law requires members of the clergy, like teachers and social workers, to report any allegation of child abuse to the police.However, another law provides an exception if it is part of a churchs religious practice to keep confidential communications secret.Brown, the national spokesman, said Jehovahs Witness elders do report sex abuse in states where there are mandatory reporting laws.If it is a state that requires clergy to report, we of course would view that as taking precedence over ecclesiastical privilege, he said.
Associated Press has picked up the story!GO KIMBERLEE!
Lawsuit filed against Jehovahs WitnessesIt claims the church ignored sexual abuse against a child.The Associated Press
October 7, 2002CORVALLIS A Corvallis man has filed a $3 million suit against two local Jehovahs Witness congregations and its national headquarters, claiming leaders ignored the sexual abuse he suffered as a child.The complaint, filed in Benton County, alleges that when Tyler Davidow, now in his early 20s, was 4 or 5, a fellow Jehovahs Witness member abused him. His mother, Cathy Davidow, contends that when she went to the elders of the church, they did nothing to stop the abuse.Jim Riffe, an elder from the north Corvallis congregation, said he couldnt comment on the situation because he didnt know anything about it and hadnt been served with court papers yet.Well address the matter when we are informed of it through the proper channels, Riffe said.Steve Cuda, an elder from the north Albany congregation, also said he hadnt heard of the complaint.People at the national headquarters of Jehovahs Witnesses in Brooklyn, N.Y., didnt know of the suit either.However, spokesman J.R. Brown said that Jehovahs Witnesses deal strictly with child abuse within the congregation but that it isnt the churchs job to report abuse.Nothing prevents them from calling the authorities, Brown said. They dont have to call us first. These things operate separately. If the offender is part of the congregation, we will deal with it in a church setting. But if they are also reported to the authorities, we will not try to shield them.According to the lawsuit, Cathy Davidow owned a store in Corvallis in the 1980s. While she worked, she often let Tyler play in a storage area.Both were members of the north Albany congregation. In 1984, Cathy Davidow employed a woman who was a member of the north Corvallis congregation.According to the lawsuit, the woman often brought her teenage son with her to work, and he often stayed with Tyler in the storage area while the women worked.In 1985, according to the complaint, Tyler told his mother that the teenager had been sexually abusing him for a year, and she went to the elders of her church.Kimberlee Norris, the Fort Worth attorney handling the case, said Jehovahs Witnesses encourage church members to take complaints to the church leaders.The control issue is so strong in Jehovahs Witness congregations, Norris said. The setup is such that the elders are the voice of the Watchtower (the name of the Jehovahs Witness headquarters), and the Watchtower is the voice of Christ.Marion and Polk counties are home to about a dozen congregations of Jehovahs Witnesses. There are churches in Dallas, Stayton, Salem, Woodburn, Keizer and Independence.According to the suit, when Davidow went to the elders of the church, they told her they would research the problem and take care of it, and that she shouldnt tell anyone else about it.The suit claims no action was taken.Oregon law requires members of the clergy, like teachers and social workers, to report any allegation of child abuse to the police.However, another law provides an exception if it is part of a churchs religious practice to keep confidential communications secret.Brown, the national spokesman, said Jehovahs Witness elders do report sex abuse in states where there are mandatory reporting laws.If it is a state that requires clergy to report, we of course would view that as taking precedence over ecclesiastical privilege, he said.