Former Teen Bride Agrees to $2.75 Million Settlement in Polygamous Trust Case

A former teen bride who was forced to marry her cousin at age 14 has agreed to a $2.75 million settlement with the polygamous trust controlled by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The agreement, announced by attorneys for both sides, comes after a Utah Supreme Court ruling in March that allowed her to sue the trust over the 2001 marriage. The settlement must still be approved by a judge.

Elissa Wall, who testified against the group’s leader Warren Jeffs in a 2007 trial, will receive $1.5 million in cash over 18 months and a home in Hildale, Utah, along with a 40-acre property in Arizona. The trust, which holds nearly all the land and assets of the sect’s community, was seized by the Utah attorney general in 2005 amid allegations of mismanagement. Wall’s lawyer, Alan Mortensen, said she wants to remain connected to the community as it is restructured under new leadership.

The trust, valued at about $110 million, was established to support the group’s communal property beliefs. Wall’s lawsuit aims to hold the trust accountable for past abuses, including underage marriage and other practices linked to Jeffs. Her public testimony contributed to Jeffs’ conviction in 2007 for being an accomplice to her rape, though the verdict was later overturned on a technicality.

Jeffs is currently serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting girls he considered wives. The federal government is pursuing the group on multiple fronts, including allegations of food stamp fraud and child labor in Utah. Prosecutors have also called for the dissolution of the group’s police department following a Phoenix jury’s finding that the twin polygamous towns denied basic rights to nonbelievers.

The trust’s new governing board expressed appreciation for Wall’s public stance against Jeffs. In a joint news release, both sides emphasized a desire for a community focused on families, friendships, and growth, rather than secrecy and division. The settlement reflects ongoing efforts to address the legacy of abuse and restructure the group’s assets outside the control of its former leaders.

The case highlights the complex legal and ethical challenges surrounding the group’s practices. As the trust is reformed, it remains under scrutiny for its historical role in enabling abuse and maintaining a closed community. The settlement underscores the ongoing struggle for accountability and justice for those affected by the group’s policies.

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