Mormon Church Seeks Dismissal of Lawsuit Accusing Ex-Church Leader of Rape

The Mormon Church, citing statutes of limitations, is seeking dismissal of a lawsuit that accuses a church leader of sexually assaulting a woman in 1984 when she was training to be a missionary.

Lawyers for the church and the former leader, Joseph Bishop, president of the church’s Missionary Training Center from 1983 to 1986, argued in federal court Wednesday that the window for claims to be brought had long expired.

The lawsuit was filed in April by McKenna Denson, 56. It states that Bishop, now 85, raped Denson in 1984 at the training center in Provo, Utah; that leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knew Bishop had a “history of red flag sexual improprieties toward young women” when he became president of the training center; and that the church did not adequately investigate the rape accusation or discipline Bishop.

The lawsuit says Denson learned that the church was aware of the allegations about Bishop’s past in December 2017 when she confronted him and recorded a conversation in which he discussed sexual improprieties in his past.

A lawyer for Denson, Craig Vernon, declined to make her available for an interview Thursday.

In court papers, the church and Bishop cite Utah laws that would preclude Denson from filing claims more than four years after the alleged rape and its aftermath in the 1980s. Vernon said the “clock should start” after Denson confronted Bishop in December, not in the 1980s.

Andrew Deiss, Bishop’s lawyer, on Thursday denied the allegations against Bishop. He declined to make his client available for an interview.

“He did not sexually assault the plaintiff, he did not have a history of sexual assault or impropriety, and he did not attempt in any way to cover up any alleged sexual misconduct,” Deiss said.

In an emailed statement Thursday, David Jordan, a lawyer for the Mormon Church, said he expected the court to issue a decision on the move to dismiss the lawsuit in the coming days.

“We have confidence that the court will ultimately reach a just resolution in this case,” he said.

Statutes of limitations in sexual assault cases have come under increasing scrutiny since the #MeToo movement began, as accusers have made their stories public and sought accountability and justice, only to find laws limiting the time in which they can legally do so.

Several calls to extend or eliminate statutes of limitations have been spurred by women who said they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby but could not press charges because of the legal time limits.

In Denson’s case, she reported her sexual assault to the police in 2017, but police reports released publicly indicated that the case was closed because of the statute of limitations on the books in 1984. Utah has since eliminated its statute of limitations.

She then filed the lawsuit in April.

It said that Bishop singled Denson out shortly after she arrived at the training center in 1984 and that he would take her to his office and talk about his past sexual experiences with women. According to the lawsuit, Bishop took Denson to a basement room, where, she said, the rape occurred.

Vernon said Denson completed the training and began a mission for the Mormon Church but was tormented by her assault and could not finish it. She left the church about a decade ago, Vernon said.

The Mormon Church on Thursday declined to answer further questions about the case, referring to statements from March that said the church had begun investigations into Denson’s claims.

In one statement, the church indicated that a second woman had accused Bishop of sexual abuse.

“The Church is looking into all aspects of the assertions on the recording of Joseph Bishop,” the church said. “This includes the work of outside legal counsel, who are interviewing priesthood leaders, family members, law enforcement officials and others with knowledge of these incidents.”