Mormon Church officials are examining a lawsuit filed this week by two Navajo siblings who say they were sexually abused in a church program decades ago. Their attorney says church officials were told about the abuse, but did nothing.
The brother and sister were originally from Sawmill, Arizona. But they moved away after their mother volunteered them for a church-run placement program, which was supposed to give them a good education. The lawsuit alleges the abuse took place in various Mormon foster homes in the late 1970s and early ’80s, beginning when the siblings were 10 and 11.
The lawsuit seeks written apologies, unspecified damages, changes in church policy and the creation of a task force to help address cultural or social harm to Navajos.
A church spokeswoman says the church does not tolerate abuse and that church officials will look further into the lawsuit before responding.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
