New lawsuit accuses FLDS Church leaders of ritualistic sex abuse

A new lawsuit has accused leaders of the Fundamentalist LDS Church of ritualistic sex abuse involving girls as young as eight years old. The case, filed in state court by a 21-year-old woman known only as “R.H.,” names Warren Jeffs, his brothers Lyle Jeffs and Seth Jeffs, and former FLDS leader Wendell Nielsen as defendants. The lawsuit also targets the FLDS Church and the United Effort Plan Trust, a court-controlled real-estate holdings arm.

R.H. stated in a statement to FOX 13 that she filed the lawsuit to hold certain parties accountable for the religious-based systemic sexual abuse of young children. She described her personal experience with the abuse and expressed hope that the FLDS community would recognize the harmful consequences of following Warren Jeffs’ communications and edicts.

According to the lawsuit, R.H. was taken from her home with a bag over her head, driven to an unknown location, disrobed, and sexually abused by the Jeffs brothers and Nielsen. She alleges that others would watch the abuse. Her attorney, Alan Mortensen, told FOX 13 that the ritualistic abuse was documented and occurred between five and six times a week. R.H. also claims she was ordered to document the abuse of other girls.

Warren Jeffs was sentenced to a life term for child sex assault and issued an edict halting all marriages from his Texas prison cell. However, Michael Worel, another of R.H.’s attorneys, believes abuses may still continue within the church. Mortensen, Worel, and attorney Lance Milne have previously represented Elissa Wall, who sued over her marriage at age 14. She recently obtained a multi-million dollar judgment against Jeffs.

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