AZ Supreme Court: LDS Bishops Didn’t Have To Report Man’s Confession To Raping His Daughters, Child Porn

Salt Lake City’s ABC affiliate reports:

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s priest-penitent privilege law exempts The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from revealing information from a confidential spiritual confession. The decision upheld a Dec. 15 ruling by the Arizona Court of Appeals, which also had ruled in favor of the church in a lawsuit filed by three children of Paul Adams, a former church member who died by suicide in 2017 while in jail after he was arrested for child pornography for filming and distributing his sexual abuse of the girls.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints agrees with the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision,” the church said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened by the abuse these children suffered from their father. The church has no tolerance for abuse.” The children sued last year, naming the church  and alleging they had been negligent not to report Adams after he made a private spiritual confession to his bishop in 2010 and was excommunicated in 2013.

From a 2017 report:

According to federal officials, Adams was found hanging by his neck and unresponsive around 3:30 a.m. Saturday by Core Civic staff. Emergency personnel responded and Adams was transported off-site for medical treatment. He died at 5:19 p.m. at a Phoenix area hospital.

The day before, Adams was brought to the Cochise County Superior Court where he faced 14 felonies including molestation, sexual contact and sexual assault against minors. He was returned to federal custody after his hearing, said Carol Capas of the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

Records show Adams was arrested after Interpol obtained a video depicting an adult male engaging in a sexual act with a pre-pubescent child.

Arizona Supreme Court upholds Latter-day Saint priest-penitent privilege in sex abuse case https://t.co/A4bS8Gckat via @KSLcom

— KSL (@KSLcom) April 13, 2023