Last month the Dallas-based Turley Law Firm filed a civil lawsuit against the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc. and Reginald Tyrone Jackson. The Petition outlines the sexual exploitation and abuse of children in Metroplex congregations in Plano, Dallas and Greenville, Texas, USA.
Six people broke their silence to tell of sexual, physical and emotional abuse suffered in the late 80s and early 90s, when they were between the ages of 4 and 14. Two perpetrators are referred to in the Petition – one an elder, the other a circuit overseer.
The Petition claims the abuse was not reported at the time because the petitioners and their families were threatened with discipline and harm if they spoke to anyone about the molestations. The plaintiffs are not named due to the nature of the allegations.
Details have been reported by Fox4News Dallas Fort Worth…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n4mB_OwTpQ?rel=0]
The Petition also alleges that the defendants were negligent and committed various forms of fraud. The fraud stems from allegations that congregation leaders misrepresented themselves as people of trust, and the WBTS should have been responsible for oversight since its “authority flows down from it to the local levels.”
$1 million in damages is being claimed by each of the six plaintiffs for the alleged lasting psychological and emotional harm that the abuse has caused in their lives. They are also seeking punitive and exemplary damages to send a clear message to Watchtower, highlighting their responsibility.
Steven Schulte, a lawyer with the Turley Law Firm, told the Plano Star Courier that Watchtower “is the top of the chain of command; they oversee and are involved in the decision-making … daily function – everything has to be approved… They are intimately involved … have absolute authority over the congregation and had every reason to know [of the abuse].”
Around 1990, the Governing Body appointed Jackson as an Elder. The Petition states:
“In spite of their knowledge of Jackson’s conduct with children, the Governing Body did not report this conduct to the authorities and did not otherwise warn members or the general public of Jackson’s wrongdoings. Instead, it remained silent, allowing Jackson to remain in a position of authority, trust, and control over children of the congregation, to repeatedly sexually abuse and molest them.”
“These victims were not permitted to report their experiences to outside authorities or to other persons within the organization, aside from elders or overseers, despite secular laws and duties regarding the reporting of child abuse.”
The Petition also alleges that this was not a single perpetrator operating within the congregations. Another alleged abuser, a circuit overseer, is also referred to as “A.”
The Petition says of “A”…
“The Governing Body had reason to know, at least by the early-1990s, that “A” was using his position of authority and trust as circuit overseer to manipulate and engage in sexually inappropriate conduct with children….. In spite of their knowledge surrounding “A”’s conduct with children, the Governing Body did not report “A”’s conduct to the authorities and did not otherwise warn members or the general public of “A”’s wrongdoings. Instead, as with Jackson, it remained silent, allowing “A” to remain in a position of authority, so he could repeatedly sexually abuse and molest members of the congregations.”
The Petition also claims…
“Defendants did everything possible to avoid disclosing these perpetrators’ inappropriate conduct and abuse of children and what they knew about their wrongful conduct with children. Defendants knew that Plaintiffs were ignorant of this inappropriate conduct and that it was potentially harmful to them, as innocent and sheltered children, and that the children did not understand the perpetrators, who were their spiritual leaders, and in a position of trust, would hurt them while satisfying the predators’ own sexual desires.”
None of this is surprising. Week after week, in country after country, abuse survivors are speaking out. At the same time the Governing Body makes no apology to those who have suffered, refuses to change the two witness policy, and allows perpetrators to return to congregations while making no mention to the rank and file membership.
Further reading…
It would be interesting for Cedars to post a survey on how many Witnesses know of a sex offender in their local circuit. I personally know of one registered in a nearby hall.
It is becoming increasing uncomfortable to be an active, awake, Witness. There are new Pedo cases coming out almost daily now – Two in my own state! When one finds themselves instructing their child that it is not ok for anyone, even in the KH, even an Elder, to touch them inappropriately – You have got to start seriously evaluating, not whether or not this is God’s chosen organization (Because once awake, that answer is clear) but whether or not this organization is still a safe place to raise a family.
A CO involved in child abuse? It staggers belief…they are “company men” through an through unlike some elders.
I hope this gets more news attention to damage further the WT but so sad for the victims…I hope they win!
These men, need to be brought to justice…..in A COURT OF LAW…. not a kingdom hall. Where these lames can get away with almost everything, makes me sick…hope the wbts goes broke, and callapses.
I think the Bible calls it, “Straining out the Gnat, but swallowing –
the Camel”.
TPT, railing on about dress standards, while completely ignoring
The, “Perverts Paradise” they have created with their
dangerous and repulsive ideas.
More damaged lives, and the only concern is, to protect their
manifestly, false claim to be Gods elite.
Get your children away from this false cult before their lives are ruined. Don’t be a coward and allow another minute to go by before they are ruined.
I doubt they’ll be molested, but they damned sure won’t live up to their potentials. My god sir, why does someone have to say this to you, where is your conscience?
I’ve been wondering lately if the Lawyers for WT have advised them not to say or hint one word re these lawsuits as they are in a very unstable situation with this matter. Things could crumble quickly with one wrong word said. They have to be losing sleep over it as they look guilty by being tight-lipped about it. A couple of years or ago, an Elder asked the congregation to pray for FD&S as they were under attack, now the penny has dropped.
Anyway, It makes me question who really makes the decisions because everything boils down to litigations & Insurance. I don’t know if this is standard everywhere but where I live to hire someone to work for my business, they need insurance, a police check & work cover as I deal with the elderly, disabled & children. Wouldn’t that apply to volunteers as well? Just wondering.
Thank you Susannah for this article.
I’m sure it took a lot of courage for our “silent lambs” to speak up about their abuse. They will be in my prayers.
Why is there no facility to post your articles to my Facebook page? All I can do is tick a ‘like’ but can’t seem to post it. Really missing an opportunity here.
Hi anon, have you tried simply posting the article address as a link into your Facebook post, and doing it that way?
You know there is something wrong when a Jw is listening to the evening news and when the reporter starts to tell of a child molestation accusation and they cringe hoping and praying its not involving the WTBTS.
I think that the Jws must be thinking “Wait on Jehovah” alot more than in the past.
SD
I listened to a bible highlights part last week where an elder praised the Mosaic law for the “mouth of two witnesses” provision and then said “we follow that same principle today.” I couldn’t help but cringe. The law was done away with. Jesus said to love one another… I don’t think he meant it like this
@Niner, What a fine point you make, The “Law of Love”
the “Royal Law”. Liberates us from the “Iron Cage ” of
mandatory rules that the W.T Org, has manufactured, for-
the purpose of controlling, and using people, purely for-
their own ends.
The love they pay “Lip Service” to, even this is used to
coerce, and control, and will be withdrawn, if your own
conscience conflicts with their dogmatic rules.
Try rattling the bars of the cage, by independent thinking,
or challenging their authority in any way, even your own
flesh and blood will cut you off.
The “Law of Love ” that sets us free, is different from the
“Sham ” love, that’s used, to keep us imprisoned.
Niner , I think you should have given that talk, and not
that elder.
If it’s going on that way , do not be surprised if soon in every Kingdom Hall a special arrangement will be made to have one more contribution box intitulated “FOR PEDOPHILE MISCOUNDUCT CLAIMS”.
Mercy me, yet another tragic case of abuse. I hope that the poor victims will win their case and the WTBTS will be publicly held to account for their disgusting child protection policy.
I hope that these two revolting individuals are punished to the extremity of the law. The governing body should be hanging their heads in shame for the suffering they have contributed to in this and other cases.
The two witness rule has been proven to be illegal, immoral and completely unacceptable to right hearted people everywhere.
Peace be with you,
Excelsior!
Good thought. I know in the area where I became a JW back in 1972, there were two serial child molesters in a small congregation of about 30 publishers! Since then, about 10 years ago, there was another outrageous case in the local KH. I’m afraid this problem is more wide spread than any of us had imagined!
I also think it is real wide spread. The brother that married my husband and me in the 1960’s was an elder and pioneer and later went into the circuit work himself and at the time, had a teenage son and he told my husband and me that our circuit overseer at the time tried molesting his son and he had written to the Society about the C.O. and they wrote back to him that they had a stack of complaints about him about 6 inches thick but they never took him out of the circuit work so it makes you wonder just how many that guy molested? Another friend of ours also told my husband many years ago, how this same circuit overseer tried molesting him when he was a teenager. He is a real nice guy but a little strange so it makes you wonder if that circuit overseer ruined him in some way by what he did to him as a youngster and he was never able to tell anybody? Also, a few years ago, a friend of mine told me that her father (out east in the U.S.) was in prison for child molestation in his congregation and he had gotten away with it for 25 years before they caught him. He was an elder.
If all these victims come forth with this information, I can easily see that it would be in the many thousands of files the Society has in New York and some of them circuit overseers. Because they are “good” witnesses, they probably aren’t even aware that there were thousands just like them that had molested and nothing was done about it and if they could prove it, they could sue the Society. Most of these victims are still in the “truth” or have family and close friends in the “truth” and they don’t come forward because they’d be shunned and they know it. That’s why they aren’t speaking up.
For many years, if a young man wanted to go to Bethel, they couldn’t be married so I think the Society finally let them get married so they wouldn’t get hor**y with each other, if you get my drift and then some of these guys were kicked out into the circuit work. That is what I think it was with the circuit overseer we had that time.
@Niner. I remember 20 years ago when I first started studying a friend of mine came to see me to save me from this religion (she was a born again), no better but anyway she made a comment to me that stuck with me for years. She told me that her mother was a JW for years & left because they concentrated too much on the old laws & not enough love. I didn’t get it at the time but lately the penny has dropped as the only love I ever really saw was phoney pre tense. I even found myself doing it to rope people in. I look back now & feel humbled now that I can recognise it for what it was. Fake.
The Watchtower makes high sounding statements about how they ‘abhor child abuse’
Let them stand in a court of law and say so.
If you were an employer (say at a school) and employed a known (to you) child abuser. 1. would that be responsible and 2 would you share in the responsibility if that person abused a child?
Would you then refuse to testify in court and why?
Would you tell that child that they were not to speak to anyone about it?
Would you threaten that family with expulsion if they did?
Would you, as a parent, be concerned if the
school refused to contact the authority’s when an allegation was made instead of which insisting it’s head office was to be contacted which no one is privy too?
Well if you would there’s a religion you can join.
Morally spiritually legally GUILTY.
Lots of predators in jw paradise. Poor children!! These cases will keep on coming . I personally have heard of 4 cases of child molestation from the circuit. How many more are out there only time will tell. For watchtower this is the “gift that keeps on giving”
A close look at Christ’s words regarding judicial matters in Matt 18 is revealing.
A single person who was an eye witness would a approach the brother alone.
It was then for that brother to establish his innocence.
If he refused to accept responsibility further witnesses were called
The witnesses primary goal was to establish the accused attitude to the accusations. On that basis you would have two or three witnesses.
Judging the persons attitude you then have a basis to excommunicate that person.
So the crime was in part secondary.
Now consider the sh#t the Watchtower teaches which in truth protects them and unfortunately the accused.
We all know that malicious accusations of child abuse have and do occur. However it is better to side on the air of caution.
If a person has been accused maliciously and as a result been excommunicated that is better than doing nothing.
Many miscarriages of Justice have happened in the scriptures.
Ultimately the lier will be found out.
Apologies, that’s err on the side of caution.
@Gary. I have no problem with the 2 witness rule for that very reason, when it comes to disfellowshipping. It’s when the Society makes rules that first the victim has to report to the elders when it’s another Witness involved and then putting a guilt-trip on the victim and the victim’s family not to report it to the police, until the elders have confirmed that the person is guilty of the crime first and then if the person confesses to the crime and is “repentant” or insists they are innocent, then it’s kept quiet from the rest of the congregation and the victim and their family are not to report it to the police, etc. That’s the problem with all this stuff.
Molesting a child or a rape by anyone is a crime and should be treated as a crime. The Society insists on treating it as a “sin” which is not the same at all. The Society is to blame for these rules and the elders are only following orders but Hitler couldn’t have killed millions of Jews without help either.
Roseinthewoods
Agreed completely. The scriptures highlight the weakness of the Watchtowers stance and practice.
Yesterday, I googled that circuit overseer’s name and saw he died in April of this year at 90 years old. His obit said he and his wife must have gone out of the circuit work shortly after serving our circuit because they went on to buy a house and have children.
I asked my husband about him, if he remembered him and my husband said he also grabbed him in the crotch when he was a teenager but my husband said he shoved him out of the way when he did that, but the C.O. did that to him right in their kingdom hall when nobody was watching. Whether it really happened or not I don’t know because I wasn’t there. But I asked him what he did to our mutual friend when he was a teenager and how he got away with it. This is how he related to me how this C.O. did what he did to our friend:
Our friend’s mother liked to feed the C.O.’s when they came so this particular C.O. would ask our teenaged friend at the time (1960’s) to talk to him in private so our friend told him they could talk in his bedroom so they would go into his bedroom and shut the door. Then the C.O. would start talking about masturbation and would start touching him and opening his pants and it went from there. That is what he did to our friend. I can see this scenario happening in other cases like this.
I have pondering the comments here and wondering what to say to so many ex-jw’s who know of historic child molestation. From experience, if anyone knows of such cases even historic cases, the matters should be reported. I know that this is not easy and memories, names and places are not always clear, but the police are able to join different stories/facts together. I am beginning to hope that more people who know something will speak to the experts who can build a fuller picture and this will given the abuse survivors support and enable more to come forward knowing they are not alone.
If we know of abuse and we keep quiet we are all accountable, we do not have freedom of speech. If you know then get in touch with the police. You dont have to give your name. We can all help to bring this religion to book.
@Thankyoualll! It is something I have been struggling with as well for probably the last 6 months. I have left the teachings intellectually but I’m steal exiting emotionally. It is a tough road to go down when you have been part of something you believed in for so long. I am married, have no kids, and only my mother is a witness. My wife, who I have talked to about my thoughts on certain teachings said sadly she would follow me wherever I go – which speaks to the level of her commitment to “the truth.” Anyways, I was relieved but sad at the same time. She has a mother and two little brothers that she would never be able to speak to again if we went down as apostates.
I have already met with the elders once to tell them about my doubts and why I can’t with good conscience preach something that has changed numerous times and could potentially be changed again – or – that is based on a thin interpretation, at best.
I’m torn between a full exit – disfellowshipping, or a slow exit without incriminating myself to get disfellowshipped as an apostate.
Niner, People say if you can fade it is easier. I am not sure as either way it depends on how the indoctrinated remaining family decides to react. I felt a clean break was essential and I decided to take the consequences. I wanted sanity and to live the best life I could. I hope by living a happy life it will contrast with their despair. I have great hopes they will wake up. The evidence seems to be saying that as more leave, others are following.
Regarding fading or not fading, I have asked a cult psychologist in my European country who has experience since 20 years with JWs and she told me I should better keep on fading as I have still members of my familiy trapped in.
I am fading 100 % (no meeting, no preaching, no association), but I keep the “elders” informed (once or two times a year if they call on me ) that when I won’t lack motivation any more, then I will plan to regain activity. It’s a kind of manipulation that I am allowing myself to offer to them, because I feel that if I give them hope I may come back in a “near” future, they will feel like to bring to a stop pestering me. And my strategy works perfectly!
Fading in my case is the best solution, because I want at any price keep contact with my family members. I have been living a long time in Asia and family is priority for me, thousand of kilometers before a cult made in USA.
And when now I hear so much about JWs’ child abuse I am so happy to be 100% outside of this cult.
Fading definately the way to go. I have been on the end of shunning and believe me it is unbearable. I got re-instated and simply faded afterwards. I never get called on, but I am always pleasant when I bump into any JW’s. They are conditioned just as I was. They always say it would be lovely to see me back at the meetings, and that is when I have to hold my tongue.
Regarding fading.
My own personal view is that the parusia is in the future. With that in mind James chapter 5 gives us a summary of the ‘now’ situation in the Watchtower organizations stream of time.
Amos 5 also (it seems) is directed at the current Watchtower organization.
For me personally Amos 5.10 hits the nail on the head.
For a while I held my tongue, until the penny dropped, that they are in a cult and being nice to them to keep the peace was playing their game and not doing them any favours. My family goes through periods of contact and then no contact. It seems to be based upon what the current WT says about shunning. For me, finding new friends and learning as much as I could helped me with the loss of family. It is their choice to shun. I have been out over 32 years though and it was not easy at first. My sense is that, with so many coming out now, there is support and momentum and that recovery from this organisation is gaining pace. I doubt if this outfit will last the next 32 years.
It is to be noted, if you believe the scriptures, that a man of lawlessness would teach a false parusia or ‘having stood in the day of the lord’
. If it is true then 1914 and the Watchtowers attitude is a trap either way. . .in or out.
Either which way you look at it , scriptural or seculary, it’s over for the Watchtower society. It’s just a matter of time. They have little or no credibility.
@ gary
While I agree with your comment, sadly I don’t think it will ever be over for the WTBTS. Not while situations like the one I dealt with today. I asked my mother who is still in the truth, if she would like to know about the latest WT court case. She replied in the negative. She does not want to hear it, Jehovah will put it right. So all the time brainwashed devoted JW’s continue with their heads in the sand, and with the fear of reading anything they should not, the WTBTS will simply carry on.